Allouette
by FragilePuzzle
Summary: AU. Near is a famous ballerina, and Mello is the best soccer player on the best team in the world. Mello ends up going to one of his shows and falls in love...but it seems doubtful that supposedly pompous, hardhearted Near will feel the same way.
1. Introduction

**A/N: **Hehe, enjoy the crack~

* * *

The stadium around Mello filled with screams and cheers as he kicked the soccer ball as hard as he could. He was almost on the other side of the field, but his fans had no doubt it would go in, and win England the world cup for the third time in a row.

"It's going…going…AND IT'S IN!" the announcer yelled. "Mello has DONE IT AGAIN! England wins the world cup!"

Mello threw his hands up in the air, an exhilarated rush of adrenaline pumping itself through his veins before he was mobbed by his teammates. All he could smell was sweat and grass, until he was lifted up, a sea of moving hands underneath him. Throughout the stands, there were cheers, screams, squeals, and chants of his name, and he felt like he was on top of the world.

---

Near was in a small room, the walls covered with mirrors, and his pointe shoes clicking gently against the hardwood floors. Beethoven's Symphony No.9 rang out through the room as he gracefully did several twirls in a row, his tight-fitting ballet leotard stretching with his every move. There was a big show coming up, and it didn't seem as if he could get in enough practice at all, even at twelve hours a day.

He leapt again, barely making any sound as he hit the ground, absorbing the impact in a plie.

"_Pas de valse…_" he muttered to himself. "_Demi-pointes, sur les...ballotte_!"

He finished the dance with a final twirl, mocking landing into his partner's arms. Suddenly, he heard a clapping noise coming from over by the door. It was his boyfriend, Light.

"Very good job, but I think it would look better if you did it with a partner…" he said, walking up behind Near and taking his hands in his own. "We have to practice for the recital."

"Fine," said Near, his soft, yet cold and unfeeling voice echoing throughout the room.

Light started the song again, and the two began to go through the steps of the dance, nervous for the large show that seemed to be arriving all too soon.

---

"DUDE!" Matt yelled, bursting into the player's room. "That was fucking EPIC!"

Mello just smirked, running his hands through his sweat-and-dirt coated hair. He was sitting on a bench, leaning back against the wall, drinking a salty sports drink to try and regain some energy and body salt he had sweat out.

"Hey, well, you weren't too bad either, Matt," said Mello, taking another large chug.

"YOU WON US THE WORLD CUP!" yelled Matt, his voice echoing throughout the room, the always-energetic redhead not even seeming tired after the big game. "England has won THREE TIMES IN A ROW NOW!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Mello said, smiling.

Suddenly, L and Rester came walking into the room. L was the second-best player on the team, Matt being the third, and Rester was their coach. Rester quickly walked up and gave Mello a congratulatory slap on the back, causing the blonde to hack and choke on his drink.

"Great job, Mello," he said, nodding like he was the one who had scored the winning goal.

"Fine game, indeed," mused L, chewing on his thumbnail, despite all of the dirt that was on it.

"That's really gross, L," Matt commented.

"Hm?"

"You do that, and I'm not going to let you kiss me."

L grudgingly stopped chewing on his thumbnail, keeping his hands down by his sides, wishing that these dumb soccer shorts had pockets he could shove his hands into. His inward complaining, however, was interrupted by their manager, Aiber. He burst into the room, talking away at ninety miles an hour on his cell phone, walking right past the four of them and sitting himself down on a bench.

"Yeah…Yeah…Okay then, we'll be there, Bob! Yup…Byebye!"  
He flipped his cell phone shut, putting it in the breast pocket of his shirt before looking up at Mello.

"Hey, great game Mel-Yell!" he said, smiling his con-man smile. "I would give you a pat on the back, but you're all covered in dirt."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Look, we got lines of fans outside waiting for autographs, so you guys gotta get going, right?" Aiber said, gesturing to the door. "Take your shirts off, give the girlies something to look at; it'll get us more publicity."

"Aiber…" L sighed, wrapping an arm protectively around Matt's waist. "Matt is not taking his shirt off for the fangirls…or boys."

"Jeez, _I_ will, and I'm going," Mello sighed, gladly taking off the sweaty shirt that was sticking to his skin and dropping it on the nearby bench.

Aiber handed him a sharpie and patted him on the back, wiping his hand off on his handkerchief a second later. Mello just rolled his eyes and walked out of the dressing room, having to stride down a few corridors before arriving outside. He was instantly bombarded with screaming fans, rabid journalists, and the flashes of cameras for newspapers.

"Mello, tell us, how did you feel when you scored that final goal?"

"Mello, HOW do you stay so lean and fit when there are rumors you eat all of that chocolate?"

"Mello, Mello, MELLO! MISA-MISA IS HERE!!!"

Mello turned around when he heard a familiar voice…it was his biggest fan, Misa. She had never missed a game, and he promised her that if she stopped stalking him, he would sign whatever she wanted at the games. He turned around and waved at the blonde girl, only to see that she was holding a pair of bright yellow panties…great. He knew this day would come sometime, but why _now_?

However, he just sighed and walked over to her, popping the cap off of his sharpie before writing a quick "Mello" on the pair of yellow panties. Great. Now he could leave. As he walked down the middle of the pathway his bodyguards had cleared for him, there were many squeals and shrieks as all of his fans fawned over his bare chest, many of them asking to touch it. He was pretty sure he even heard somebody ask if they could lick the dirt off of it.

By the time he was halfway to the limo that was waiting for the team, Matt and L came out. L had his arm still wrapped protectively around his boyfriend's waist, and their arrival got some of the rabid fangirls off of Mello's back, at least. The two of them posed for a few fanservice pictures before being escorted into the limo along with Mello, all of them blowing a few kisses and waving a few times before the limo pulled away.

Rester, who had somehow gotten in the limo as well, gave Mello another bone-rattling smack on the back before silencing all of the blonde's teammates.

"A toast!" he said, handing Mello a bottle of champagne, popping the top off and letting it bubble for a second.

"To the world cup!" Mello said, raising the bottle before taking a swig.

"World cup!" everybody repeated.

Yeah…life sure as hell was good.

---

Near was sitting tiredly in a puffy armchair that resided in his dressing room, his thin chest rising and falling quickly. He held an empty water bottle in his hands, and some of his white, curly hair had come out of its bun during the intense practice, and was now sticking to his forehead uncomfortably. His legs felt sweaty and shaky under the light pink tights he had adorned, and his pink leotard felt foreign to his soft skin, despite the fact he wore it every day. His pointe shoes rested on the floor, the ribbons used for lacing them up splayed messily around the shoe itself. The only comforting and familiar thing he was wearing was a light pink headband his mother had given him when he told her he wanted to be a ballerina.

He remembered his mother fondly, his father…not so much. He remembered all of the hardships he went through to get where he was today, and that was all that motivated him to keep practicing until his legs shook, his leotard stuck to his skin, and he was forced to drink bottle after bottle of mineral water to keep up his strength.

Weakly, he stood up, his legs still shaking under his weight. Making sure that the door to his dressing room was locked, his slowly began to take his ballet clothes off, intending to change into his more comfortable street clothes. He hooked a finger underneath the shoulder of his three-quarter-length-sleeve leotard, slipping it off of one arm, and then the other. Pulling it down to his waist, he observed his pale chest, running his fingertips down his perfectly flat and pale stomach.

Shivering a bit, he slipped the leotard down past his knees, letting it fall to the floor lightly. He stepped out of it, slipping his tights off and setting them both neatly on to the armchair he had been resting in moments ago. Onyx-gray eyes traveled over his reflection in the full length mirror, taking in how pale and skinny he was. Everybody told him he looked just like a ballerina, but he always thought he was too plain.

After one last once-over of his body, Near turned around and began to get dressed. He pulled on his pair of light pink panties, slipping them delicately over his legs before letting them come to rest on his hips. After his panties came his plain white, tight-fitting t-shirt, and then his pair of cotton white short-shorts. Near gently removed the headband and set it down on his makeup table before sitting in front of the mirror, beginning to brush out his hair. He pulled it back into another bun, his bangs still coming to rest right above his eyes.

After he had his hair all pulled back and in place, he slipped the headband back into his hair, beginning to wipe the sweat off of his face. If there was one part about being a ballerina he hated, it was the _sweat_. Near hated anything gross, especially sweat.

Sighing as he stood up, Near remembered to pull on his white legawarmers before grabbing another bottle of disgusting mineral water and walking out of the room. It wasn't even five seconds before he felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around his waist, and a pair of lips at his neck.

"Near, baby, you were great today…" a voice whispered, one Near instantly realized as Light's.

"I'm tired, Light," Near said, his voice as unemotional as ever.

"I promise I'll be slow and gentle…" Light whispered, smirking against Near's neck as one hand went up his white shirt, the other down his pants.

"Light, I said I'm—"

Near let out a small, breathy moan as Light pinched one of his nipples roughly, his hand finding its way into the lacy panties he had just adorned. The brunette took the moan as a 'go ahead,' and carried him back into the dressing room, continuing his ministrations on the small boy. He shut and locked the dressing room door behind them, flipping the 'busy' sign over.

---

Mello was busy relaxing at his high-class penthouse with L and Matt when his cell phone rang. He saw that it was Aiber, probably calling him about 'publicity opportunities.'

"'ello?" he asked, kicking his feet up onto the end table in front of the couch.

"Mello, hey, just the man I wanted to talk to!" Aiber said. Mello could see his con-man smile through the phone, it was so obvious.

"I'm guessing that's why you called me," said Mello.

"Yeah, that's exactly why, sport!" said Aiber. "Anyway, I got this great publicity deal. You, Matt, and L are gonna go to this…ballet-thing opening or whatever, and it'll get you guys great rep as fine-arts lovers. You in?"

"Hey," Mello said, covering the mouthpiece of the phone and getting L and Matt's attention. "Aiber wants to know if you guys want to get some publicity. It's supposedly the _good_ kind."

"What're we going to, Mels?" asked Matt, relaxing more into L's arms.

"Some super-fancy ballet or something. Its opening night, I guess, and there'll be a lot of celebrities and journalists and stuff there. We'll get reps as fine-art lovers or some bullshit like that."

"Sounds good to me!" Matt said cheerily, looking at L. "What about you?"

"If Matt is going, I will as well."

"Okay then," Mello said, taking his hand off of the mouthpiece. "We'll be there. When is it?"

"Tomorrow night, at eight," said Aiber. "At Chenery auditorium. Anyway, gotta go Mel-Yell, I got a call on the other line."

"Yeah, bye."

Mello flipped his cell phone shut, throwing it on to the table by his feet. Great. Yet another thing he had to do, and one he cared nothing about. He hadn't wanted this when he joined the team…he had just wanted to play soccer.

---

Near was lying on the couch in his dressing room, naked, shivering, and covered in cum. After steadying his breath, he stood up, feeling some of Light's cum dripping out of his ass…and to make things worse, he was sore and he couldn't find his blanket anywhere. He picked up his headband off of the table; sliding it into place as he looked around the room for his blanket…he needed it. Suddenly, it caught his eye, lying on the floor in the corner of the room. He quickly ran over to it, holding the treasured piece of light pink cloth as close to his chest as he could.

He gently rubbed the soft, silky corner of the blanket to his cheek, it being softer than any of Light's touches. His mother had given him the blanket when he was a baby, and besides his headband, it was the only thing he had left to remember her by. As he stood up, he winced slightly from the sharp pain in his ass. Light was such a fucking liar. He hadn't been gentle at all. He had pounded into him so roughly, Near would be feeling it for a week, if not longer. He couldn't believe that brunette asshole had done that, especially when they had the big show tomorrow…if it hurt his dancing in any way, he was going to brutally murder him. But, Near still loved him. He always would, no matter how many times Light cheated on him, or lied to him, or did the exact opposite of what Near told him to…Light was all he had.

* * *

**End Note: **Isn't Near the cutest little ballerina EVER? Sorry if this little intro chapter was confusing and boring, but I promise to make later chapters better~

Review if you want lemonnnnnnn!

~FragilePuzzle


	2. Swan Lake

**A/N: **Somebody pointed out that the ballet moves Near was doing in the last chapter were for girls…you shall see why in this chapter~

* * *

Near was waiting backstage, his nerves making his legs shake, his ass still sore from yesterday. However, he had already decided he was going to suffer through the pain tonight, even if it meant he would be sore for the next three weeks of practice. Near _knew_ that he shouldn't have had sex with Light, especially not the night before a big show like this, but when the brunette touched him…he could never resist.

"Are you nervous, sweetie?" Light asked, his arms wrapping around Near's thin waist.

"No," replied Near, his voice cold. "It is merely another show, nothing more, nothing less."

"But baby, there's _thousands_ of people in that audience…" said Light, a smirk working its way on to his face as he reached under Near's tutu, running his fingertips up the smaller boy's inner thighs.

"Stop," Near demanded, trying to keep his voice steady.

Light smirked again as he kissed Near's neck, removing his hands. Suddenly, the lights in the audience dimmed, and the clamor and chattering died down as everybody heard the orchestra begin to warm up. Near took a few deep breaths, sipping a couple of drinks of his mineral water before walking forward to wait in the wings as his turn to dance approached.

---

"Swan Lake?" Mello whispered disbelievingly, the three of them taking a seat in the second-to-front row. "Seriously? That story put me to sleep when I was a kid!"

"Aw, Mels, don't be a spoilsport…" Matt pouted. "I _like_ Swan Lake."

"Pshh."

"What?"

"How old are you?"

"…you know perfectly well how old I am."

Mello just rolled his eyes, wishing he could be practicing for soccer now. The feeling of running, unhindered, through those beautiful green fields of grass…he wished he could feel it all of the time. But NO. He had to be stuck in some stuffy theatre, watching some stupid ballet he didn't even want to. All for some more damn publicity…taking one for the team seemed to fit this situation perfectly.

Suddenly, the music started. It was Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, obviously, but it was a second before the first dancer entered. She was beautiful…white curls framed her face, which was round and pure white, just like an angel. She was wearing a pure white costume with feathers all over it, the bottom spreading out into a tutu that ended a few inches below her navel. A feather headdress adorned her snowy white curls, and she gracefully danced across the stage, twirling a few times before falling into a mock-faint, hand to her forehead.

'_S-she's really beautiful…_' thought Mello.

"Mello, woah, dude, that's a GUY!" said Matt, elbowing him in the side. "I read the program, his name is Nate River…dude looks like a lady, amirite?"

Mello coughed a few times, his eyes widening in surprise. That…no way…no guy was that pretty and graceful. Or delicate and feminine…and such a _good_ dancer! Damn, he could DANCE.

Suddenly, another dancer leapt on to the stage, and from the looks of it, he was the prince, all ready to leap into action and save the princess. Psh. Stupid prince. I mean, bloody hell, how long had that stupid princess been dancing around in the clearing before he got there? What kind of crappy prince leaves their…really beautiful princess…waiting like that?

Mello had to resist the urge to yell obscenities at the prince for some reason, and he continued to watch the ballet, his eyes only focused on Odette. She, or he, was simply gorgeous. His lithe frame seemed to fit perfectly into the brunette prince's arms, and he was easily able to be lifted. Suddenly, the music took a turn for the tragic as the prince kissed Odette and ran off the stage, Odette throwing her (or him) self down on to the stage as he left. Psh. Stupid prince. Damn. He needed to be slapped or something.

However, the play took a turn for the happy again as Odette's animal friends came on stage. Mello watched the whole rest of the play, enthralled and on the edge of his seat. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the beautiful Odette, and when the end finally arrived, and Odette turned back into a swan forever…well, let's just say that Mello didn't do a very good job of concealing his feelings.

"B-But she was going t-to be a-a beautiful p-princess!" he sniffled, wiping away his tears with his shirtsleeve. "A-and she g-gave it up for t-that douchey p-prince!"

"We know, Mello. We know," Matt said comfortingly, patting him on the back. "But remember, it was a _ballet_."

"I-I—"

As the three of them were walking out, Mello's tears gone, they saw her (or him). He had come out with the prince after the show, probably for autographs and pictures for the newspapers. He was still completely in costume, and he looked even prettier up close. His mascara made his large gray eyes look even more sparkling, his white eyeshadow and pale lips…Mello just couldn't seem to take his eyes off of him.

"Near, is that your real hair color, or was it dyed for the show?" a journalist asked, staring at his snowy white hair.

Near opened his mouth to answer, but Light pulled him closer, answering for him.

"It's his natural color!" he said cheerily. "It's pretty beautiful, isn't it?"

Near looked slightly miffed as Light continued to answer the questions directed at him. However, when a journalist asked a question that was obviously touching a sensitive subject, he stiffened.

"Near, why aren't your parents here to see this great achievement of yours?"

"My parents…" he said, his voice as cold as ice. "My mom is dead and my dad is in prison."

Near quickly excused himself to the nearest bathroom, everybody else beginning to fawn over the beautiful brunette prince and his weird man-tights. Mello excused himself from the company of Matt and L just before the two of them were noticed, Mello being able to slip away discreetly. The blonde immediately made his way to the bathroom, hoping to have a chance to talk to 'Near,' as he heard the small boy was called.

As he walked in, shutting the door behind him, he saw that Near was curled up in a chair in the bathroom, sobs shaking his body. He heard Mello's shoes click against the tile of the floor, and he quickly looked up, drying his tears.

"What are _you_ doing in here?" he asked, his voice not much more than a whisper.

"I…I…um…had to use…the bathroom?"

"Well then stop staring and use the bathroom already."

Mello looked towards the stalls, and then back at Near, who had buried his face in his knees once again. He cautiously took a step towards the boy, running his fingers through his hair before speaking up again.

"You…dance really beautifully," he said, his hands itching for a chocolate bar.

"Look, if you came in here to get my autograph or something, you have to wait in line like everybody else," replied Near, his voice as icy as ever.

"No, I just wanted to—"

"Hey, wait a second," said Near, looking back up at him, his voice softening. "You're Mello, right? Mihael Keehl?"

"Yeah…" said Mello, a puzzled look on his face. "Why?"

"You won us the world cup..."

"U-um, yeah."

"Thanks…" he said, small grin on his face. "I was watching it, for a little while, while I cooled down from practice, and I watched you score the last goal. It was pretty amazing, the way you kicked it across the whole field."

"Oh, haha, yeah!" said Mello, a blush dusting his cheeks…he always got really embarrassed when people complimented him on his playing.

"I'm actually…a slight fan of yours."

"Really?"

"Yes. May I ask when the next game is? Soccer is an interesting sport, and I would like to try watching it again."

"I think we have one this Sunday," said Mello. "I'd be really honored if you came. To the actual game, I mean."

"Why would you want that?"

"For one, you seem like you need a break from all of that dancing!" said Mello, laughing slightly. "I mean, to dance that well, you must practice a lot, right?"

Near bit his lip, but nodded nonetheless.

"And I'm all for gettinng more people to like soccer, so why don't you come? I can get you in, and you can just relax for the day, yeah?"

"I suppose I can miss practice for one day…" Near mused, standing up and drying his tears, smearing a bit of his mascara. "I'll be there."

"Cool!" Mello said, the blush tinting his cheeks becoming slightly more prominent. "Yeah, and, if they try and stop you, just tell them to bring me out, or whatever."

Near nodded, brushing invisible dust off of his tutu as he went to go look in the mirror and fix his smeared makeup. Opening the door, Mello quickly ran out, going back over to Matt and L.

"Mello, can we leave now?" Matt muttered under his breath, smiling and waving at the cameras.

"Time to split like a banana sundae," decided Mello, grabbing his teammates and dragging them out of the back entrance, where a limo was waiting.

Right before Mello walked out the door, he caught a glimpse of the prince, who, according to the program, was named Light Yagami. He stared at Mello with a look of death in his eyes, before walking into the bathroom Mello had been in with Near moments earlier. However, the blonde didn't have much time to think about it before he was hustled off into the limo, which immediately took them back to his penthouse.

---

"Hey, Near…" whispered Light, walking up behind him in the bathroom. "Who was that?"

"Who?" Near asked, his voice stoic as he wiped off the smeared mascara.

"That blonde guy…"

"I don't know. He's just a fan, I guess."

Light pushed Near up against the wall, pinning his hands above his head and bringing their faces closer together. Near's gray eyes searched Light's face, his brow furrowing slightly as he tried to pull away.

"Light, what are you—"

"Near, are you cheating on me?"

"Light, stop being a dumbass! I hardly even talked to him!"

"Hardly?"

"All he did was compliment my dancing!"

"That's all, huh?"

"Yes, now, let me go!" demanded Near, pulling away from the brunette.

"You're mine, Near…" Light whispered, walking out of the bathroom.

Near waited for Light to leave

"I know…" whispered Near, lookinng up at the mirror on the wall, an expression of utter defeat and hopelessness on his face. If only things could be different…

If only.

* * *

**End Note: **Now do you see? Why would I put Near in gross man-tights when I can put him in a tutu? D

Funny note: I wrote this whole chapter while listening to "Soulja Boy," only; I listened to the screamo version. Haha, screamo-rap-ballerinas.

~FragilePuzzle


	3. Dangerous Game

**A/N: **Here is the next chapterrrrr!! I'm sorry it takes me so long to update…I'm a slacker, what can I say?

* * *

---_Sunday_---

Mello was so nervous, he could hardly stand it. He hoped Near would be there, but at the same time, he didn't want the small boy to see him play. What if he messed up and made a fool of himself? He would never live it down…well; now, his nerves were going to make his team lose the game. Given, it was only a practice match against a small team, but it was still important. This was his REPUTATION on the line, here. He needed to play his best all the time, every game.

Mello took another drink of his water before running out on to the field, looking at the small stadium that surrounded him. It wasn't a fifth as big as the World Cup stadium, and it could probably only seat a couple thousand people…but the match was still a match, and it was going to be broadcast on television and everything. He had to play, and play to win.

The blonde saw that the other team was warming up as well, and he jogged out on to the field. He gestured for Matt to throw him one of the practice soccer balls, and he set it down on the ground in front of him, placing his foot on top of it. With one single step backwards, pulling his leg behind him, he kicked it clear across the field. It whizzed into their goal, and every single player turned around. The goalie looked terrified, probably because if that ball had gone a couple more inches to the left, it would have whacked his head clear off.

Mello did nothing but smirk and wave.

---_At the stadium entrance_---

Near stood in front of the large stadium, wringing his hands nervously. He shouldn't be nervous. Why the hell was he nervous? There was no reason to be nervous. He timidly made his way up to the entrance of the stadium, approaching one of the large security guards.

"I am here to see Mello," he said, having to look up to even remotely make any sort of eye contact. "He invited me to the game."

"Yeah, I'm sure he did," was all the guard said, pointing him to the back of the ticket line.

"I-I am serious! He told me to tell you to ask him to come out here!"

The security guard looked confused for a moment before he processed what Near said, shaking his head again.

"Mello is practicing for the game. If it's that urgent, tell me your name, and I'll go get somebody to ask him about you."

"Near," said Near, his eyes reflecting his nervousness. "Or, Nate River."

"Wait right here."

The security guard walked over to talk to one of the waterboys, who must have been on his break or something, giving him instructions before telling him to shoo. Near leaned up against the wall nervously, adjusting his headband as he played with one of the bracelets on his wrist. He wondered if Mello still wanted him to come see the game…

A few minutes later, the security guard approached him, Mello following close behind. Near quickly stood up straight, putting on his best emotionless face, trying not to show his nervousness to the gorgeous soccer player. His tanned skin rippled over his muscles, his golden-blonde hair contrasting beautifully against his skin…Near yanked his eyes back up, not wanting Mello to see him staring at his body.

"Hey, Near, you decided to come after all!" Mello said happily, waving to him.

"Yes…I told you I would be here, did I not?" said Near, smirking at the guard when he thought Mello wasn't looking.

"Well, yeah. Okay, we can go in the stadium now, because the game's almost starting."

Near followed Mello shyly, sort-of-not hiding behind him to try and hide from all of the screaming fans. He didn't understand how somebody could be so popular, and not be a complete jackass…well, maybe he was. Maybe Mello was just one of those people who were good at hiding things. Maybe, underneath, he was really just as big of a douche as Light.

That would explain Near's attraction to him.

Mello arrived inside of the mostly empty stadium, leading Near over to a small reserved section. It was the closest bench to the field, and he could smell the freshly-mowed grass, see the sweat glistening on the skin of the player's from in his newfound seat.

"And, after the game, you can just come back into the player's room, yeah?" suggested Mello, smiling at him again. "We can do something once I get showered and changed and stuff, if you want to."

Despite his better judgment, Near nodded. He had already taken the whole day off, so why not spend it having fun? Though he had no idea what Mello was planning, he could probably trust the blonde. In fact, the idea sounded pretty fun.

Mello smiled again, running back on to the field just as the game was about to start. What Near didn't know, was that the blonde was so nervous, his legs were shaking and he could barely stand. He had no idea how he was going to _run_, let alone play. Damn him and his cute little smile and wave he just gave him. Damn him…and his stupid adorable-ness…damn it. Just…damn.

As Mello looked around the field, he realized that Matt and L were nowhere to be seen. There was only five minutes until game time. They'd better get back in time, or their team was _screwed_. Like, seriously, they were fucked.

---_Back at the stadium entrance_---

Light had followed Near to the soccer game. It might have sounded creepy, possessive, and stalker-ish, but Near was _his_, and his only. That stupid, blonde soccer player was not, under any circumstances, take his little Near away. He was going to keep the boy in his grasp forever.

The brunette approached the security guard, flipping his hair coolly. He put on his best, most dazzling smile, and asked him where the bathrooms were.

"R-right this way, please," said the guard, leading Light over to a small side corridor, quickly leaving.

Light smirked. That guard was just too stupid. The other side of the mini tunnel-corridor lead straight into the stadium. He began to walk towards it, intending to find Near and force the small boy to leave, but he was stopped by two intertwined figures that were stumbling down the corridor. They were seemingly making their way to the bathroom; their mouths attached in a passionate kiss, the taller man pulling the smaller one closer to him.

Suddenly, they broke apart, seeing Light. The brunette dancer immediately recognized them as L and Matt, two of the players on Mello's soccer team. They immediately recognized him as the price in the ballet. The same ballet that they went to go see…they had also noticed Mello escorting the little pretty-boy princess in, and L quickly put two and two together. He figured that the only reason Mr. Prince would be sneaking around in the bathroom corridor was if he was trying to sneak into the game.

"May I ask what you are doing here, Mr. Prince?" L asked, letting go of Matt and walking up to the other man.

"G-going to the bathroom, what does it look like?" stuttered Light, taking a step back with each step L took forwards.

"Then I suppose you may go to the bathroom, and then you may show the security guard your ticket, and be seated. In fact, I'll call him here right now."

"Wait!" demanded Light, his eyes narrowing.

L turned back to him, in his normal hunched-over stance. He glared at Light maliciously, even Matt taking a step back in a kind of cross between awe and fright.

"I must insist that you do not meddle in Mello and the princess's affairs," said L, turning back around towards Matt. "Security, I think we have an unwanted guest here!"

Light barely had any time to sputter obscenities before he was dragged off by the security guards, Matt turning around and sticking his tongue out at the brunette. Suddenly, L grabbed Matt's arm, beginning to run them off to the game they were about to miss.

---_Back at the field_---

Mello ran his fingers through his hair as he observed the other team. They weren't bad…not bad at all. In fact, they were pretty fucking good. However, Matt and L still weren't back, so he was going to have to play his best to impress Near and beat them single-handedly. Sighing, he steadied his legs as the referee blew the whistle, signaling that the game was starting whether Matt and L were here or not.

Mello was easily the fastest and most agile player on the field, as he was easily able to dribble the ball around all of the other burly players. Within the first twenty seconds of the game, he was in an available spot, and kicked the ball as hard as he could. It flew past the goalie and in to the net, the crowd letting out a loud cheer. He only smirked at the goalie, waiting for him to throw it back out. As soon as he did, Mello waited for one of the other players to grab it before stealing it away again, kicking it with the side of his foot and sending it shooting into the goal once again. Too easy.

Near watched the game with awe. Mello was such a good player…he didn't even let the ball get to his team's side of the field before he was all over it, shooting it into the other team's goal. No wonder he was considered one of the best players in the world. Every time the blonde scored a goal, Near would clap softly, smiling at him. He knew that Mello was watching him. He could see all of the looks his way, the subtle waves, and the way that he would do an especially flashy kick when he knew Near was looking. It was like he was not afraid to express his attraction, if he did have any. Maybe Near was just over-thinking things, as always.

At half-time, Mello just grabbed his water and towel, walking over to stand in front of the reserved bench. He leaned on the short wall that separated the bench from the field, smiling at Near brightly and sincerely.

"You need anything?" he asked, taking a drink of his water.

Near shook his head politely, his hands crossed and in his lap. It was then he noticed something. As gross ass he thought sweat was…Mello was dripping in sweat, but he didn't find it gross at all. Usually, if Light so much as walked in the same room as him, and he was sweaty, Near would tell him to get out and go take a shower. However, all Near did with Mello was grab the blonde's towel, gently dabbing at his face.

"You play very well," he said, smiling at Mello's surprised expression. "But you sure sweat a lot."

Mello jumped up as his coach walked up behind him, smacking him on the back. Suddenly, Rester's eyes traveled to Near, and he turned back to Mello and raised his eyebrows.

"Well, Mels, I know you're famous, but how'd you get such a cutie?" he asked, gesturing to Near.

Near blushed a little, pulling Mello's sweat-soaked towel into his lap as he raised his eyes up to Rester. Onyx-gray eyes traveled to Mello as his brain suddenly seemed to process what Rester was saying.

"Oh, coach, haha, he's not my boyfriend or anything!" Mello said, a blush gently dusting his cheeks. "Nah, he was at a ballet I went to go see, and when I went to tell him that he danced really beautifully, we kind of started talking and stuff, and yeah…"

"Mhmm. You were at a ballet, you say?" Rester asked, looking at him disbelievingly. "As much as I would love to believe you have _taste_ and enjoy fine arts, I can't help but remember your hobbies include partying, drinking, partying, spending your nights in hot tubs with numerous women _and_ men, and partying."

Mello turned red at this accusation, running back out on the field as the referee whistled the bell and signaled that the game was starting again. After half-time, even though Matt and L had showed up out of nowhere, Mello was even more vicious. Almost every goal was scored by him kicking the ball as hard as he could, sending it flying across the field. One time, the goalie almost stopped it with his hand, but the sheer force and speed of the ball was too much for his arm to handle, and it went in anyways.

Finally, at the end of the game, the score was thirty-seven to one. And Near was pretty sure that one goal was a pity point that Mello let them have. Speaking of which, the blonde seemed to have calmed down considerably, and he came back over to where Near was sitting. He rested his elbows on the wall again, looking down into Near's lap, and the small boy realized that he was still holding Mello's towel from earlier.

However, Near didn't give it back. He simply stood up and began to gently dab away the sweat that was dripping down Mello's face. What he didn't understand, is why Mello was not stopping him. No, scratch that…he didn't understand why he felt the need to be so tender towards Mello anyways. Seriously…apparently, he was just like any other celebrity. He liked to party, drink, and have hot tub parties. Near didn't understand why he felt so drawn towards him. He was more suited for somebody calm and…less rowdy, like Light. He never partied or got drunk.

"Hey…once everybody leaves the stadium, do you want to go out and kick the ball around for a while?" Mello asked, smiling at him again.

Near paused for a moment, biting his lip and thinking about it. He really had no idea how to play soccer, nor did he want to get all sweaty and gross…but then again, if Mello was asking him, he must be willing to teach him. And besides, there were always the athlete's showers.

"Very well…" he said, timidly pulling the towel away from Mello's forehead. "But…I have never played soccer before."

"Aw, c'mon!" Mello said, another one of his classic smiles dancing across his face. "Everybody's played soccer before…I mean, you never played with your friends, when you were a kid?"

Although Near knew that Mello meant no harm by that, he couldn't help it as his voice grew cold.

"I never had any friends as a child, nor was I allowed so much as a soccer ball to play with."

Mello's smile dropped as he heard this, but he did not touch on the apparently sensitive subject again. He didn't want to offend the small boy more that he already had. It wasn't like he _knew_, and he brought it up on purpose, but he could understand. He didn't like it when people poked around in his past either.

Looking around, Mello saw that the stadium was almost empty, spare a few stragglers. Now, it was time to play. Taking another chug of his water and throwing off his shirt, Mello ran out onto the field and waved Near over. After setting Mello's towel down, Near walked out to the field, standing out in the middle. Smiling, Mello dribbled a ball over to him and stood in front of him with it. Near only looked at him blankly.

"Here…you just kick it as hard as you can!" he said, still smiling as he stepped out of the way.

"Just kick it?" Near asked nervously, looking back and forth between Mello and the ball.

Mello nodded, his eyes still on Near. The small boy took a deep breath and a step backwards, as he had seen Mello do, and he brought his leg forward with all his might. He missed the ball completely, as he closed his eyes and turned away, afraid of impact.

"You have to keep your eyes _open_," Mello laughed. "You can't close them and turn away like you're afraid of the ball!"

Near just bit his lip, determined not to be outdone. He would _never_ give up. This time, with a more determined expression on his face, he brought his leg back and kicked the ball as hard as he could. A little whimper slipped his lips as his ankle twisted uncomfortably, but the ball WENT somewhere this time.

"Like that?" he asked, looking up at Mello.

"Yup~" smiled the blonde, running to go get the ball.

As the two continued to kick it back and forth, Near getting better with every time his foot connected with the ball, Matt and L watched up from in the stands.

"Remember when we used to be like that?" Matt asked, a dreamy and romantic expression on his face. "Ah, the difficulties of the early stage in romance…remember those times, L?"

"No. We simply met because we were on the same soccer team. We never went through the early stages of a romance, because—"

Matt silenced L by putting a finger over his pale lips, his eyes closed, the goggles that rested on his head reflecting the beautiful sunset.

"Let me have my fantasies, L. Let them be."

L only teasingly nibbled on Matt's finger, treating it as he always did his own. He watched as a smile played on to his boyfriend's face, his green eyes slowly opening. The redhead then leaned over, resting his head in L's lap, letting the raven-haired man stroke his hair.

"You know, we have to get them together~!" grinned Matt, gesturing to Mello and Near, then looking up at L. "I mean, look at how cute they are! Not to mention the princess's boyfriend is a dickhead…"

L only nodded, wanting nothing more than to help his friend. They were going to get the two of them together, whether they knew it or not.

---_Later that night_---

By the time Mello and Near were too exhausted to play anymore, the stars were twinkling in the night sky. The large stadium lights had turned themselves on, and the two's laughter was the only sound to be heard. It was Near who gave in first, collapsing in the middle of the field, lying on the green grass and giggling. He was covered in sweat, but for once, he didn't mind. Mello ran over to the small boy before sitting down next to him, laughing as well.

"You're not bad at soccer…!" he panted, smiling down at Near.

"I would say that you are not bad either, but I am almost positive that you know that already," Near said.

Mello only laughed, looking up and observing what few stars he could see. It was only then that it hit him that it was nighttime.

"Hey, was there any certain time you had to be back?" Mello asked Near, focusing on the small boy again.

Near quickly sat up, his eyes widening to almost inhuman proportions. He quickly stood up, brushing the grass off of himself, trying desperately to wipe all of the sweat off of his face. Standing up as well, Mello didn't even bother to grab his shirt before he spoke up again.

"Near, woah, are you late for something?" asked Mello, looking at him worriedly.

"I was…supposed to be back at the studio…somebody was expecting me…" he said, continuing to try and gather himself up.

"C'mon, I'll give you a ride back to your studio."

Near nodded as thanks, rushing after Mello as the blonde made his way out of the stadium, and back into private parking. His wallet and keys were waiting in a safe, and he grabbed them and led Near to the only car left in the lot. It was a shiny red sports car, top down, and he didn't even bother opening the door before jumping in. Near slowly and carefully climbed in, buckling himself up, while Mello only jammed the keys into the ignition, starting the car and quickly driving off.

"Thank you for driving me," Near said, practically having to yell over the wind.

Mello only smiled at him, whipping the car into a one-eighty as he sped out of the parking lot. Near directed him back to the studio, secretly staring at his toned and tanned chest the whole time. No dancers ever had _that_ nice of a body…he seemed all too perfect in Near's eyes.

Before Near knew it, Mello was speeding into the parking lot of the studio. They had, miraculously, not been caught and stopped by the police, which was amazing considering Mello must have been going at least thirty over the speed limit the whole time.

"Hey…" said Mello, his voice lowering as he stopped the car. "I had lots of fun with you today…"

Before Near knew what was happening, Mello was pressing a gentle kiss to his lips and pulling away, leaving him completely stunned. Nobody had ever touched him that softly before…not since his mother was alive, and would soothe him with lullabies when his dad came home drunk and screaming.

"Good night, Near," Mello smiled, unlocking the door for him. "Sorry for keeping you so long."

Near stepped out of the car, his head still spinning as he watched Mello wave and speed away. His fingers went to his lips, and he gently pressed the tips to his lips, as if to make sure they were still there. A small smile graced his face as he turned around to go into the studio and go to bed. It had been such a fun night, and—

"Near."

Near looked up, focusing his eyes and seeing Light. A very angry looking Light. VERY angry.

* * *

**End Note: **I'm sorry I've been so lazy on this story…I have, like, ADD or something. It WAS a long chapter, though. You have to give me that. But anyways…CLIFFHANGARRRRRRRR. OH. SNAP. Review...Review and I will love you. Seriously.

~FragilePuzzle


	4. Fine Line

**A/N: **Next chapter! Thank you guys for all of the lovely reviews and things! It makes meh so happeh~ :'D

But…I think Light is going to flip a bitch. What do you think? Ah, I feel so bad for Near…he's always the buttmonkey of my fics. F-forgive m-me, Nia-t-tan…

* * *

"Near," Light repeated, taking a step towards him. "Who was that?"

Near had no idea what to say. He was pretty sure that Light wouldn't believe that he was 'just a friend.' He…He was in for it now. Even standing as far away from Light as he was, he could sense the brunette's fury. Near had probably crossed the line this time, and he could already sense what was coming. He knew he should run, and run as fast as he could…but where did he have to go?

"Near. I asked you who that was, _sweetie_," the brunette said, his voice absolutely dripping with poison. "Isn't that that blonde soccer player? Mello? Is that it?"

Near had no choice but to nod, not even stepping away from Light anymore, his body too scared to even think of moving. The brunette finally made his way over to the smaller boy, grabbing his chin roughly and forcing him to look up into his honey-colored eyes. Slowly, Near met his eyes, and he knew his own were filled with terror.

"L-Light, I-I am sorry…" whispered Near, wincing slightly as Light's nails dug into his skin.

"Sorry? Are you _really_ sorry, Near?"

Near nodded furiously, hoping for some sign of forgiveness from Light. Finally, the brunette's grip on his chin loosened, and a smile flickered on to his face. Pulling Near tightly into his arms, he placed a comforting kiss in the boy's curls, his hands rubbing up and down the small of his back.

"I forgive you…now, why don't we go upstairs and get to bed, okay?" Light whispered sweetly, feeling Near relax in his arms.

Near nodded, a few tears dripping out if his eyes. Light…wasn't mad like he usually was, and that was so good of him. Near was so grateful towards the brunette for continuing to love him, even though he was such a terrible person. As much as he hated to admit it, Light was just—

As soon as the two were up into their room they shared, Light shut and locked the door roughly behind him, causing Near to jump at the sudden sound. Turning around, the smaller boy saw that Light still had the same sweet expression on his face, and he relaxed again.

"Light, you should not slam the door so loudly…" said Near, beginning to take off his sweaty and grass-stained clothes. "You might wake somebody else up."

"But, Near," started Light, walking up behind the smaller boy. "There's nobody else here."

Near didn't even have time to turn around before Light tossed him down on to the bed, so he was lying on his stomach, his arms pinned above his head. Light crawled up on the bed behind him, his fingers dancing along Near's bare back, running his index finger up Near's spine, sending cold shudders flying throughout his body.

"L-Light, what a-are you—?"

Light didn't give time for Near to do so much as speak before he yanked off the smaller boy's pants and panties, tossing them on the floor somewhere. Near began to struggle, but Light was almost a whole foot taller than him, and he was easily able to hold him down. Smirking at his efforts, Light only unzipped and unbuttoned his pants, the noise making Near struggle more.

"Near, you little _fucker_," he whispered, smile still on his face. "You were cheating on me, weren't you?"

"N-n-no, Light, p-please, I-I swear—AAH!"

Near let out a cross between a scream and a gasp of surprise as Light shoved into him dry, beginning to move before Near's body had any chance to adjust whatsoever. Feeling something warm trickle down his thigh, he could only assume that it was blood, and it seemed to be flowing pretty steadily. Screams continually fell from his lips as Light thrust into him, and he could do nothing but try and weakly struggle away, even though he knew there was no chance of escape. Eyes squeezed shut as he tried to bear the feeling of his body being split in half; tears slipping from the corners as yet another dry and high-pitched scream escaped his throat.

Feeling Light's cum explode into his entrance, the salty liquid burning all of his newfound muscle rips and tears, Near knew the excruciating pain would stop soon. One last weak and tired cry fell from his lips as Light roughly pulled out of him, letting out a dry laugh.

"You're bleeding, sweetie…" whispered Light, running his finger through some of the still-warm blood that was halfway down his thigh.

Near only continued to let out body-wracking sobs, each one sending sparks of pain throughout his body. He was so sore…his head was spinning with the pain, and he wanted nothing more than an extremely high dose of morphine. Closing his eyes again, Near continued to sob dryly, occasionally letting out a small whimper.

"Shut up," said Light, lying down on the bed next to him. "I'm trying to go to sleep. If you want to do your whining, go somewhere else."

Near continued to cry silently, waiting until Light fell to sleep to slip out of bed. He grabbed a baggy white t-shirt and some plain panties, pulling them on and stumbling downstairs. It hurt to walk…so badly…but he decided that he had to do something. Light...as much as he loved him, his small body couldn't put up with much more abuse. Walking into the kitchen, one thing caught Near's eye. The phone. Looking around, as though he was afraid Light would suddenly pop out of nowhere, Near picked up the phone and held it to his ear. All he heard was a dial tone, of course, but it was then when he remembered something. Mello had given him his cell phone number on a slip of paper.

Near was thankful he had taken the time to memorize it, and he immediately began to punch it in, not knowing who else to call. It rang a few times before Mello picked up, his voice slightly slurred.

"'ello?" he asked, wondering who he knew that _wasn't_ at the party he was holding at the moment.

"Mello?" asked Near, his voice shaking with a combination of tears and the pain of holding himself up. "I-It's Near…"

"Near? Hey! I haven't seen you since…like, an hour ago!" exclaimed Mello, the noise of the loud music playing in the background nearly drowning out his voice. "So, what's up?"

"I-I…"

Near suddenly felt stupid for calling Mello. What was the blonde going to do about this whole situation, anyways? It wasn't his problem, and it wasn't his fight. Near had no right to drag him into this battle; a battle Near was probably meant to fight alone. However, he decided it might make him feel better to at least _talk_ to Mello. Something about his voice, even when he was probably drunk, was just so soothing and calm.

"A-are you busy at t-the moment?" Near asked anxiously, not wanting to interrupt anything.

"Naaaaahh," said Mello, laughing slightly. "I'm not busy at all! What'cha callin about?"

"Mello, tell the person on the phone that you're busy," whined a voice somewhere in the background, probably a female.

"Shaddup, Halle," Mello said, turning his attention back to Near.

"I-I can always…call back later…or something," suggested Near, suddenly feeling like he was interrupting something, that he was an unwanted outsider. "I-I just…wondered…"

Near suddenly burst into tears, for reasons that even he himself could not understand. He wanted to tell himself that it was the sharp pain in his backside, the one that nearly made him scream every time he moved. He wanted to tell himself that it was simply frustration and stress, and that none of the outside drama of the world was affecting him, but he couldn't bring himself to.

"Near, I-I'm going to come pick you up, okay?" said Mello, his voice taking on a worried and motherly tone. "You don't sound so good."

Near didn't even have time to object before he heard a dial tone. Mello had already hung up, leaving him crying on the kitchen floor, phone clutched to his chest. Thanking whatever force convinced Mello to come pick him up, Near shakily tried to stand, his legs collapsing under him once again. Using the kitchen counter for support, he made his legs remain steady as he hung up the phone, walking over to the door and making his way outside. He didn't even care that he was only dressed in a long t-shirt and panties, blood still slowly trickling down his legs. He just wanted to get away. He wanted to run and never come back, but he knew his heart wouldn't let him.

---_A little while later_---

Mello whipped up to the curb in his fancy sports car, immediately jumping out and running over to Near. His hair was still wet, and he was only wearing a pair of shorts, but Near didn't even notice. He was just sitting on the front steps of the studio, right where he had went after he called Mello, his eyes half-lidded with sleep and pain.

"Near, god, what HAPPENED to you?" Mello asked, observing the small stain of blood he had left on the steps.

"Mello, I-I…may I stay at your house…for the night?"

Mello just scooped Near into his arms, running him over to the car and setting him down in the front seat, not even noticing that the upholstery of the car was being stained with blood. The blonde climbed into the driver's side and immediately took off, not bothering to buckle himself up either. Near almost instantly fell asleep, his hands clenching on to the hem of his t-shirt tightly, the feeling of the cool night air against his face only lulling him into a deeper slumber.

Before Near knew it, Mello was pulling into his long driveway, the car jerking to a stop suddenly snapping him awake. Mello jumped out of the driver's side once again, opening Near's door and sweeping Near into his arms, cum and blood smearing itself on his bare chest. Near barely woke up, not really realizing where he was or what was going on. He was just so tired…he wanted to sleep forever.

"Near…" Mello whispered, opening the door to his large second house.

Why Mello didn't just stay in this house, and sell his penthouse that resided on the top floor of one of the most expensive buildings in the city, nobody could understand. His second house could easily house thirty or forty people, and it was certainly big enough to host all of his obscenely large parties. However, the party was the last thing on his mind at the moment. As he walked into the living room, bass pounded through his frame, and he quickly ran over to the sliding glass doors that resided on the back wall of the room. He slammed them open with one hand, the other gripping Near to his chest tightly. He stepped out on to a deck, the cool night air blowing his hair around his face as he walked over to the hot tub that was lit up brightly.

"H-Halle," he said, talking to a large-chested blonde that was relaxing in the water. "Can you get everybody to go home for me?"

She turned around when she finished talking to another man that was in the hot tub as well, looking at Mello, her eyes slowly traveling to Near.

"Mels, ohmygod, what happened to that poor little boy?" she asked, standing up and getting out of the hot tub.

"I'm not sure, but I just…I need everybody to go home so I can take care of him, alright?"

Halle nodded seriously, running inside and beginning to yell at everybody after turning down the music. Mello only sighed and went back inside, Near still clutched tightly in his arms as he made his way up the large stairs that led to his bedroom. As soon as he reached the room, he set Near down on his bed, brushing some of the smaller boy's hair out of his face as he made sure that his head was comfortable on the plush pillows.

"Near…Near, can you hear me?"

Near let out a small groan as he fluttered his eyes open, squeezing them back shut as he tried to sit up. All he could feel was pain, no matter which way he moved. His body was sore from soccer, his ass still sending waves of pain crashing over his body, his head pounding, his chest tight, his legs shaking even though he was lying down. His ankles throbbed, his back probably needed a chiropractor, and he was pretty sure that one of his shoulders might be dislocated slightly.

"Near, do you want to take a bath before you go to sleep, or do you just want to wait until morning?" Mello asked, not really sure as to _what_ it was exactly, that he should do.

"M-May I take…a warm bath?" he asked, opening his eyes again. "I feel…really disgusting."

"Wait right here while I go get it started," said Mello, quickly running off to go get the bath water running.

Near nodded, lying back and trying to urge his body to relax. When he found that he couldn't, he decided to use his energy to look around Mello's room. There were pictures of Mello with all kinds of celebrities adorning his dressers…they were all signed with messages like, 'Let's go drinking again soon,' or 'Love ya babe~' and the like. Near smiled slightly as he saw one of Mello with Madonna, he believed she was. They were both blowing kisses at the camera, and Near couldn't help but notice the resemblance they held for each other.

A few moments later, Mello came back into the room, looking at Near worriedly. He walked over to the bed and scooped Near into his arms, slowly carrying him into the bathroom, being as careful as he possibly could with his petite body.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" he asked, his voice hesitant as he walked the two of them into the bathroom. "I mean…I…"

Near just looked up at Mello, shaking his head sadly, his hand gripping at Mello's bare chest.

"I-I do not…not right now…I would like to take a bath and go to bed."

Mello nodded understandingly, slowly stripping Near of his t-shirt, trying to act nonchalant and hide his nervousness. He dropped the dirty shirt on the floor as he carried Near the rest of the way over to the bathtub. Slipping off the petite boy's panties, he quickly dropped them on the floor as well, noticing that they were covered with blood and cum. Guessing what happened, he gently set Near in the bathtub, trying not to let the smaller boy see him staring at his now-naked body.

Near let out a small hiss and a sigh as the water hit his skin, washing away some of the memories of the incident with Light. He could feel Mello's hands timidly working soap over his tired skin, but he made no move to stop him or protest. In fact…all of Mello's touches were gentle and soft, not immediately going for his cock like Light's were. Sooner rather than later, or so it seemed, Mello deemed him clean enough to get out of the tub. Near was almost asleep again, his body exhausted.

Mello gently dried him off, carrying him back into the bedroom. He set Near down on the bed, walking over to his dresser and grabbing a pajama top out of one of the drawers. He slipped it over Near's arms, beginning to button the baggy white shirt up, his eyes searching Near's almost-asleep face.

"Night," he said, placing a chaste kiss on Near's forehead. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

Near's arm immediately shot out before Mello could get out of his reach, and he grabbed on to the blonde's arm, weakly trying to pull him backwards.

"W-will you stay…until I fall asleep?" he asked, more a request than anything. "Please…?"

Mello nodded, sitting down on the bed next to the small boy. His mind pondered what could have happened to him, but it only continued to come back to the same conclusion. No…he didn't want Near to ever go back to that bastard Light…never. He was such a sweet angel…he might have acted like a bitch occasionally, but he was just…a fallen angel.

"Goodnight…" he whispered, placing another small kiss on Near's forehead as soon as the smaller boy fell to sleep. "Sleep tight."

The blonde walked out of the room after one last, longing glance at the petite boy curled up underneath his covers. He was so adorable…

His fallen angel.

* * *

**End Note: **I'm guessing that's not really the lemon you expected, right? *sweatdrops* But there shall be a bit of LightxNear rough lemon, because Light is an abuser…*sobs* Jesus, I'm such a BITCH to Near… And yes, if you were wondering, I do have a bath fetish. It is just…I love it when people give each other baths. For some reason, I find it extremely sexy and intimate. I have no fukking idea why, I just DO. I know. I'm weird.

~FragilePuzzle


	5. The Game You Like To Play

**A/N: **Haha, people say I have a Near-rape fetish as well as a bath fetish. It's not like I get him raped on PURPOSE. But, if you review, you can slap Light in that face! Or keep him as a slave in your basement, your choice. *holds a tied and bound Light up* However, if you hurt Light…keiXchan will hunt you down and eat you.

* * *

The sun was rising when Near walked down the stairs, rubbing his eyes sleepily, not even noticing his lack of his normal panties. He saw Mello lying on the couch in just his swim trunks, golden hair splayed across the pillow he had underneath his head. After a night of completely restful sleep, Near felt slightly better…he could walk without stumbling, the pain in his arm was gone, his ankles and legs were not shaky…his ass still hurt, but that was to be expected. He knew it would probably hurt for a week or so, and that was only if he didn't have to see Light again.

He knew that he would see the brunette again, he always did. No matter how many times he had been pulled away from Light, fate always made him come crawling back on his hands and knees, begging for the other man's forgiveness. If only he didn't get himself sucked into stupid situations, he would never have to end up like that.

When he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he realized he was not really sure as to what he was supposed to do. He had just called Mello up last night, and spent the night at his house, when they barely knew each other. His mind almost considered pondering why he had called MELLO of all people, but then he remembered that he had come upon the realization that he had nobody else to turn to.

Although it was probably overstaying his welcome, and quite overbearing and selfish to ask this of the blonde, he decided that requesting to stay another few days might be for the best. Near knew that his petite body could not handle the strains that would be put on it were he to come home and tell Light that he had spent the night at Mello's house—in the blonde's BED, no less. It wasn't as if they had slept together, in any sense of the word, but Light would even be angry that he even left their bedroom without his permission.

Something in his gut always told him that he needed to get out of this relationship before he was sucked in any further, but he never seemed to be able to. No matter how many times Light did something he didn't want him to, everything from hitting to cheating, he just came back and apologized like he was the one that did something wrong. God, he even realized it himself how wrong this relationship was. But he loved Light, and he knew that underneath it all, Light loved him too. Light was the only thing he had left to hang on to.

Mello awoke suddenly, letting out a scream as he sat up on the couch, his hair plastered to his forehead and his breathing heavy. Fucking nightmares again. As his eyes focused, he saw that Near was standing over in the kitchen, looking over at him with wide eyes. The big, open-room main floor housed skylights in the ceiling, which made Mello seem to almost glisten with his cold-sweat-covered body, Near's eyes traveling his body before he was reassured with a small nod from Mello. The blonde ran his fingers through his hair before standing up; stretching and walking over to the kitchen area of the room.

"Morning, Near…" he said sleepily, immediately going over to the fridge. "Do you feel any better than last night?"

"I suppose, my body is not as sore," Near replied timidly, pulling down his pajama shirt to try and hide the fact that he had no pants or underwear.

"S'good, then…" said Mello, pulling out a carton of orange juice and immediately taking a large chug out of it.

"However, I do have a favor I would like to ask of Mello."

"Shoot."

"I was inquiring……might I ask……may I inflict upon Mello……staying another few nights?"

"Yeah, s'no problem at all!" Mello said, standing up straight and rubbing his eyes. "You can stay in my bed, and I'll sleep on the couch…"

"I hate to impose on Mello like this, but I am quite afraid of what may happen, were I to go back home."

Mello only shook his head and walked over to him, placing a hand on his soft cheek. He bent down slightly so they could make eye contact, and pressed their foreheads against each other. Near blushed and grabbed on to the hem of his shirt tightly, trying to pull it down even further, but Mello only grabbed his hand and pulled it away. Near wondered what was going to happen…why Mello wanted to help him, what he wanted from him. If Near was wearing any, the small boy would have been sure that Mello just wanted into his pants, but somehow…the blonde didn't seem like that kind of person.

"Near, why are you still with him?" asked Mello, his voice becoming less sleepy as he refused to break his icy blue eyes from Near's plain gray ones. "Just…don't go back."

"Why does Mello care in the first place? I do not understand! Mello does not know about me, nor should he care about me!" Near said, his voice taking on a slightly angry tone, for reasons he himself didn't understand.

Mello rubbed the pad of his thumb against Near's soft cheek before pressing a kiss to his petite lips, his arms wrapping around the boy's waist and pulling them closer together. His hands did not venture lower then Near's back, even when Near's shirt rode up and exposed his bruised ass. The kiss was gentle and slow, even when Near's arms wrapped around Mello's neck and began to kiss him back. It was the most passionate and loving kiss Near had ever experienced, and Mello's large hands were so warm and comforting…

Near could feel his body becoming warmer, and the more Mello touched him, the hotter it got. His mind had a nagging thought that Mello was only doing this to fuck him, so he figured he would get it out of the way as early as possible, before Mello led him on and made him fall in love…he was already stumbling, and he had no intentions of tripping and plummeting.

"I-If you're going to…fuck me…get it over with a-already…"muttered Near, talking in between kisses.

Mello suddenly pulled away, his hands unwrapping themselves from Near's waist as he stood up to his full height, breaking Near's hold on his neck. The smaller boy looked up at him confusedly, not even bothering to try and pull down his pajama top and hide the erection he had gained.

"I'm not going to fuck you," Mello said firmly. "If that's what you think…If that's why you think I let you stay here…it's not."

"Then why else would Mello let me stay here?" asked Near, still looking up at him, flushed and dizzy. "I do not understand! What interest does Mello hold in me?"

"You know, there are other things that I like about you besides your body…" said Mello, bending down again. "Not everybody just wants you for sex, Near."

Near stumbled back a few paces, his pajama top still hiked up and askew. It was Mello's presence, it was just…so comforting and warm…TOO loving. He was just…so used to the abuse by now. It physically hurt him to know that Mello was wasting his time, and he knew the blonde was just teasing him, leading him on; and this must have been some sick joke, sent down to him by God, trying to tempt him into cheating on Light with MELLO—

Mello leaned forward again, capturing his lips in a deeper kiss. He gently teased Near's lips apart and slipped his tongue inside of the smaller boy's hot mouth, arms wrapping around his torso once again. Confusing thoughts ran through Near's head, and the small boy wondered if Mello just took pleasure in doing this to him. At this rate, he was going to leave Light, and then there would be nobody left for him. He would be all alone in the world once again, until they let his dad out of prison…Near needed Light to protect him from his dad, just like the brunette promised.

Pulling away for the second time that day, a small trail of saliva connecting their mouths, Mello simply looked at Near once over before walking upstairs.

---_The next day_---

Near had spent yesterday practicing ballet out on Mello's patio…and Mello? Mello had spent the day watching Near practice ballet on his patio. Tonight, the blonde was having another party, and he planned on getting SO smashed, he would forget all about the whole kissing incident that happened the day before. People were already starting to show up at the house, and he had already put back two shots of tequila. He could still hear the shower running upstairs, and he knew that Near must have still been rinsing off.

Swallowing his third shot, he wondered if he had told Near about the party. He rolled his eyes as somebody flicked the lights down, beginning to blast "Pretty Rave Girl" throughout his house. With that bass, Near had to have noticed by now. It vibrated his whole frame as he downed his fourth shot, shuddering a bit at the strength.

Near came walking down the stairs a few minutes later, seeing Mello sitting at the counter and downing shot after shot of liquor. Now, Near was completely against alcohol, but he did know all about its properties. The smaller boy walked over to Mello, sitting down at the counter next to him, spinning the barstool chair slightly so he could get a better look at the blonde. Ice-blue eyes were closed as he downed his umpteenth shot, finally cracking one open and looking over at Near.

"Oy, Near," he purred, downing another two shots in a row. Now, half of the once-full bottle was gone.

"Would Mello…care to go somewhere and have a conversation with me?" asked Near, looking at Mello hopefully.

"Sure, sure, why not…we can go back into the hot tub."

Near was a bit apprehensive about the hot tub, but he agreed nonetheless. A nice, warm, relaxing night might ease the rest of his troubles away. He was happy about the fact that his ass felt better, but the rest of his body was slightly sore from a strenuous practice.

As soon as Mello had slipped off all his clothes, he slowly relaxed himself into the hot water, sighing as it washed over his body. Thinking for a moment, Near decided that it would be relatively safe to get in without any clothes…there wasn't anybody in the hot tub but Mello, anyways. So, the petite boy slipped off his clothes and eased himself in. He sat across the tub from Mello, his gray eyes nervously looking at the bubbling water.

Suddenly, Mello yelled for somebody to bring him a drink. The chesty blonde from the night before peeked outside, handing him a bottle of tequila before being tugged back inside by a black-haired, blue-eyed man. Mello popped the cap off of the bottle of liquor, pressing the tip gently to his lips before tipping his head back and beginning to chug. He stopped after a few moments, setting the bottle on the edge of the hot tub with a sigh, his face a rosy red now.

"Want some?" he asked, picking up the bottle again and holding it out to Near.

Near shook his head 'no,' knowing that alcohol would lead to nothing good. However, it didn't seem the blonde could accept a simple 'no,' as an answer. He quickly drank some of the tequila, filling his mouth with the liquid, but not swallowing. He leaned forward and pulled Near into his lap, pressing their lips together and transferring some of the liquor to the small boy's mouth. Near swallowed, sputtering as a sort of foreign warmth and fuzziness took over his body.

"Want more?" Mello asked, smirk on his face.

Near, ignoring the more rational side of his brain, nodded and parted his lips. That warm feeling of the liquor and Mello's mouth against his own was simply too much to resist. Mello took another swig and passed it on to Near, taking a little bit back into his own mouth as well. He smiled again as he watched Near swallow and whimper slightly, the alcohol already kicking in. However, that did not stop him from continuing to pass more on to Near's mouth, the tequila being gone within minutes. He dropped the bottle, hazy brain not even noticing if it landed, or where.

Arms wrapped around warm torsos as lips met one another for the umpteenth time that night, hands groping blindly as each fought for breath. Neither could think straight, nor did they know what they were doing, the excessive liquor blurring the fine line between what was going too far and what wasn't.

Next thing he knew, Near was lying on Mello's bed, lips against his bare chest. His brain hazy, his body shaking from the cold, he could feel Mello wrap his arms around his small frame.

"You cold?" he asked, his voice a deep and throaty purr. "Why don't you let me warm you up?"

Near only whimpered, Mello taking that as a 'yes.' His warm hands ran up and down Near's sides and stomach, lips moving to the smaller boy's light pink nipples. He roughly bit one, causing a small, choked cry to fall from Near's lips, and causing a smirk to find its way on to Mello's face. His mouth began to work against Near's chest again, licking and kissing the swollen bud, as if trying to apologize for biting it so roughly.

"M-Mello, I-I—"

"Sh…" whispered the blonde, moving his mouth to the other side of Near's chest. "I promise I'll make you feel good, alright?"

Near found that his body would not let more protests escape his lips as Mello began to roughly suck on his nipple, his other free hand moving to play with the tip of the smaller boy's swollen cock. Body bucking and squirming, moans slipping from his lips, Near let Mello take complete control over him. The blonde lowered his head, his lips on Near's abdomen now, kissing and licking the soft skin there. Even through the drunken haze, Near knew that Light would have never tried to make him feel good like this…Mello was…he was—

"M-Mello!" Near moaned, his eyes squeezing shut as the blonde took a tentative lick across the length of his small dick.

"You're so _noisy_…" smirked Mello, licking Near's tip. "But I think that you should be _noisier_…"

Suddenly, Mello took Near completely into his mouth, beginning to suck viciously. His large hands held down Near's frail hips before the smaller boy even had a chance to try and buck into Mello's mouth further. He squirmed and moaned, every movement delicious to the larger boy.

Mello bobbed his head, cupping Near's balls with his tongue, occasionally humming when Near would cry out his name. He pulled his head back so Near was almost completely out of his mouth before taking the smaller boy all the way back in, tongue running up and down the sensitive vein on the underside of the boy's cock. With every moan, every squirm, Mello grew hotter and hotter, his erection screaming at his body for release. Suddenly, Near came into Mello's mouth, his back arching and a strangled cry of the blonde's name falling from his lips.

Mello leaned up to Near's mouth, spilling some of his own sweet cum into his warm mouth. The small boy greedily swallowed the white liquid, kissing Mello fiercely, their tongues tangling as they drank in each other's tastes. Finally, they required air, and they were forced to pull away. Near looked at Mello with half-lidded eyes, pale white lashes fluttering every time he blinked, gray eyes foggy with alcohol and lust. After kissing Near once again, running his hands over the smaller boy's bare body, his skin-thirsty fingertips drinking everything he could, Mello sat up on the bed.

Body overcome with alcohol and exhaustion, Near quickly slipped off to sleep. Mello continued to sit back on the bed, his legs folded underneath him as he gently began to stroke himself, eyes transfixed on Near's serene expression. Ice-blue orbs traveled over pale skin, his hand wrapping around his own cock and roughly beginning to pump, moans slipping through his lips. Eyes continued to stay transfixed on Near's sleeping face, Mello trying to restrain his moans as not to wake the smaller boy.

Mello suddenly spurted cum all over his hand and Near's chest, the hot liquid dousing the bed as well. The blonde leaned his head back, hand slowly dropping from his limp dick, his breathing heavy and labored. He wiped his hand off on the bedsheet, lying down next to Near, his eyes staring at the serene angel's face until they slowly slipped shut, overcome with the combination of exhaustion and liquor.

* * *

**End Note: **Okay, somebody asked me why I chose the title 'Allouette.' In case you just didn't know, the song Allouette is about plucking the feathers off a beautiful bird. Near is like the beautiful bird, and Light is the one who was plucking all of his feathers off of him. Kinda cheesy, I know, but I thought it fit. BUT YEA. LIME AND MASTURBATION. OHHOHO. Don't drink, kiddies. Just…it's really shitty when you wake up in somebody else's bed, not knowing why you're there. And naked.

~FragilePuzzle


	6. Confessions and Secrets

**A/N: **Ohmygod. On a completely NON-story-related note, I have to mix this medicine into my water; because I'm sick…it looks like cum. When my dad handed me my glass, I asked who jizzed in my drink. It's really gross…*shudders* It seriously...I just want to throw up when I look at it. Bleh. Being sick really sucks.

* * *

Near was the first to wake in the morning, shooting up in bed before running to the bathroom and puking into the toilet. His head was spinning, and his naked body was cold, cum and sweat covering his pale skin. He put a hand to his head, trying to remember what exactly happened last night. His head was pounding with furious abandon, and all he wanted to do was lie in bed and sleep all day, his excruciating headache making it hard to do so much as stand. After rinsing his mouth out, he stumbled back into Mello's room, going over to the open window.

The small boy sat on the sill, looking out over Mello's large yard. His eyes came to rest on the uncovered hot tub, and he saw a bottle floating in the water…a tequila bottle.

Suddenly, the whole night came flooding back to him. He covered his mouth to stifle a small gasp as his eyes traveled to Mello's king-size bed, seeing the blonde lying in the middle, just as naked as he was. He didn't know what to do…not at all. Every time he tried to think, his mind drew a painful blank, so all he could do was crawl over on to the bed.

"M-Mello…" he whispered, anger and dizziness in his voice. "Mello, g-get up!"

Rubbing his eyes, the blonde blinked a few times before looking up at Near, the memories of the night before hitting him right away. He leaned up on his elbow, head spinning as he pressed a kiss to Near's lips before collapsing back on to the bed, his eyes closing once again.

Near's head was still pounding as he began to yell, coherent words beyond his capabilities at the moment. He couldn't understand this, not a single thing of his relationship with Mello. Wait, what was he saying? They didn't HAVE a relationship!

"Stupid s-soccer player!" he yelled. "Mello knows that I cannot do this with him…I-I have to go back to Light, and Mello knows that I cannot just leave him and stay here with Mello because h-he has to protect me! Mello does not know what happened, what he did to me!"

"Near, what are you talking about?" Mello asked, opening his eyes blearily and looking at Near. "Who did what to you?"

"I-I can't! He wouldn't let me tell! He p-promised that he would come back if I told again!" the small boy cried, breaking down.

He needed to get it off his chest, so then maybe Light wouldn't be able to hold it over him anymore. Near needed to be able to tell somebody the secret he had kept for so long. He had not explained what had happened since he was in court that day.

"Near…tell me…" whispered Mello, his hand traveling to Near's leg.

"M-my father…he abused both my mother and I. He was sent to prison for killing her when he came home, drunk. They got into a fight about me…and he ended up stabbing her. She always wanted me to be a ballerina, just like I dreamed of being…but _he_ said that he would not stand for having a queer as a son…he would hit me, every day, all of the time, trying to toughen me up. He wanted me to be in a gang, just like his friend's sons. That same night, I was nine…he killed her…right in front of me. He stabbed her over and over and over, and I just ran away, carrying my blankie until I got to the police station. They came to my home and arrested him, and I was forced to testify against him…his last words were that he was going to find me, as soon as he got out of prison. He is going to find me, Mello. He swore it. He gets out of prison this year."

Mello only looked at Near with wide eyes, sitting up in bed. He pressed Near back on to the mattress, kissing him fiercely, arms wrapping around him and holding him tight. His hands ran through Near's soft curls as he brought his lips to the petite boy's ear.

"I'll protect you from him. Leave Light and let me. Stay here with me, Near…"

"I can not!" hissed Near, trying to break away from Mello's grasp.

Near placed his hands against the larger boy's chest, pushing him away. The blonde fell back on to the bed, only staring as Near jumped of the bed and grabbed some of Mello's clothes, yanking them on and running downstairs. Mello could hear the door slam as he ran out of the house, the blonde angrily slamming his fist against the mattress. He couldn't protect Near like _Light_ could.

---_With Near_---

Near ran outside, his hair blowing around his face, his dirty body uncomfortable underneath clothes that were not his. Feet hit the cement with every step, sending jolting impacts throughout his entire frame. Suddenly, his stomach lurched, and he leaned up against a nearby wall. He bent over in half, emptying his stomach again, head spinning as he retched.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his back. Then another. He wiped his mouth and stood up, turning around quickly. It was L and Matt, both standing behind him, looking at him sympathetically.

"Let's take you home…" said Matt. "You can stay at our house for a while, until you feel all better. We're going to need you to help us tonight, so you can just stay with us for the day."

Near, in a haze, nodded again. He only wanted to lie down and sleep.

---_At Mello and Matt's house, later that night_---

After spending all day helping Near lean over the toilet, Matt was quite exhausted. He felt bad for the small boy, though. Your first experience with alcohol should never be with a whole bottle of tequila. Near's voice was hoarse and sore, and his eyes had been blurry and hazy all day, complaining of his head pounding and how much he hated Mello. However, he seemed much better now; especially after all of the hangover drugs Matt had given him.

"Matt," said L, walking in the door. "I checked Mello's house, and he is not there. Do you suppose he went to the bar again?"

"I am betting Mello enjoys drinking obscene amounts of liquor…" hissed Near, still mad at the blonde for making him feel they way he did. "He seems to get…_trashed_ quite often."

"C'mon, we have to go get him back him before _that_ happens again!" Matt said nervously, rubbing Near's back and trying to comfort him. "He's probably at Simple Blue again, isn't he…? I mean, that's where he usually goes…"

"I believe we should check there first, yes."

Matt helped Near stand up and get dressed, deciding to give him some more hangover pills and a smoothie, trying to calm what little hangover he had left. The three of them got into L's car and sped off to wherever Simple Blue was, Near lying down in the backseat. His head was no longer spinning, and after emptying the contents of his stomach multiple times and taking a shower as well as getting dressed in clothes that actually fit him, he felt much better. However, he did not want to see Mello again…but, Matt and L had helped him, so he figured the least he could do was help them get Mello back.

---_At Simple Blue---_

Near walked into the bar nervously, Matt and L right behind him. Gray eyes scanned the stools nervously, not seeing the blonde anywhere. However, it was Matt who spotted him. He was sitting on one of the couches in the back of the bar, the darkest place in the room. It was a miracle that he was still there, and the three immediately ran over to him.

He was smashed all right. There were bottles of unnamable liquor lying all over the floor and the end table next to him, and it was only when they got closer did Near realize that there were four or five other people on the couch as well. A much larger and relatively attractive man with fire in his brown eyes had an arm wrapped around the blonde's shoulders, looking up at Near as he handed Mello another bottle of whatever alcohol he was drinking. Suddenly feeling intimidated and at a loss for words, Near took a single step back, Matt and L going to stand in front of the small boy.

"We're here to pick our friend up," said Matt, gesturing to Mello. "He's supposed to be somewhere soon, and I don't want him to be late, alright?"

The man made no move to let Mello out of his grasp, and the blonde was just…he was fucking plastered. He probably had no idea where he was, or what was going on. His head lolled slightly as the bottle he was holding dropped out of his hand, somebody else sitting on the couch quickly picking it up.

"I don't think Blondie here wants to go anywhere," he smirked, letting Mello collapse on to his lap.

He began to tease his fingertips up Mello's spine, smirking at the L and Matt. Near watched, eyes transfixed as the man slipped a hand up Mello's shirt. He…couldn't stand for this, despite all of the things he said earlier. Pushing past L and Matt, he stared at the older man, no trace of fear in his eyes this time.

"Do not touch him," Near demanded, eyes narrowing as the man slid his hand further up Mello's shirt.

"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" the man asked, smirk lighting up his face once again. "Doesn't seem like your friend has many objections."

"I refuse to repeat myself."

Blinking a few times, his body shaking and trembling weakly with the effects of the liquor, Mello sat up slightly. His eyes refused to focus, but he recognized Near's voice over the pounding of the bass. Lips trying as hard as he could to form coherent words, Mello spoke up.

"…Niaaah…?" he asked, voice slurred.

"Something wrong?" the tall man asked, turning his attention to Mello.

"…'re you doin'…here…'m I?"

Near bent down, becoming eye level with Mello before standing up and looking at the larger man. Arms crossed over his thin torso, a few curls loose from his bun bouncing as he leaned forward slightly, bringing his face close to the other man. His headband remained the only comforting thing in the building as he watched the dark-eyed man's travel his body; suddenly feeling very underdressed in his short-shorts, knee-high socks, and tight t-shirt.

"You know, you're pretty cute too," he said, lusty smile on his lips as he looked up at Near. "Why don't you come back to my place with me, and then me, you, and your friend can have—"

The man was cut off by Near's hand connecting with his face. Panting slightly, adrenaline and verves flashing through him, Near looked up from underneath a veil of bangs and eyelashes, his eyes taking in the slap-print on the other man's cheek. Small smirk gracing his pink lips, hands balling into angry fists, he raised his head and looked the man dead in the eyes. His body was trembling with a combination of fury and anger, the smirk gone as he began to yell.

"Never, have I _ever_ met somebody as disgusting as—"

The man pushed Mello off of his lap, standing up to his full height, being at least a foot-and-a-half taller than Near. Suddenly, he pushed the small boy down on to the couch, leg on either side of his petite frame and hand against the back of the black leather cushions. He brought his face closer to Near's, eyes filled with anger.

"Don't raise your voice to me, fucking brat. I'm going to teach you a lesson for hitting me, too."

L decided that he couldn't take just watching this anymore. Matt had his arms to his chest, his large green eyes filled with fear, and L just couldn't stand seeing his cute little uke worried. The raven-haired soccer played placed a hand on the floor for balance as he swung his left leg up in a roundhouse kick, putting his Capoeira training to good use. The other man went flying to the floor as L stood up straight again, brushing his hands off.

"Please do not touch either of my friends," he said, looking at that man as he shakily got up.

Moving to swing a punch, the other man sneered at L as the agile soccer player easily dodged it. L retaliated with another kick, to the man's back this time. Matt covered his mouth with a small gasp as the other man connected a punch to L's stomach. The redhead didn't want to get in the way of the fight, because he knew L could stick up for himself, but he couldn't help but be worried. He decided to take the distraction as a chance to get Mello out of here. Sneaking over to the couch where Mello had passed out, the redhead slung the trashed blonde on to his back, thankful for his lean soccer body that was able to support Mello without his legs collapsing underneath him.

"C'mon," he said to Near, worriedly watching L out of the corner of his eye. "L is doing this for a reason, you know…we have the car outside, and you and Mello can ride in the back."

Near nodded, standing up off the couch, his legs still shaking with nerves and adrenaline. He watched Mello's face carefully as he walked next to the redhead, making sure he could not slip off of Matt's back and fall. As soon as they got out of the bar, they made their way over to the car, running like there was no tomorrow. Matt hopped into the driver's seat, jamming the keys into the ignition as he skidded the car to the front doors of the bar, waiting for L to get out.

---_Back inside the bar_---

L watched as Matt, Near, and Mello made their way out safely. He decided that it was safe to stop the fight now, but the other man didn't seem to want to, even though he had only hit L twice. A small bit of blood was trickling from the soccer player's split lip, his stomach and ribs internally screaming from the impact of the man's first punch. However, that did not stop him from leaning down and spinning around again, his foot connecting with the man's side.

Finally, the man stayed down. L's breathing was shallow as he pushed his way through the crowd of people that gathered around the two of them, the raven-haired man making his way outside of the bar. He saw his car waiting right outside, and he quickly ran up to it, hopping into the passenger seat.

"Sweetie, I was so worried, and OH my gosh, you're bleeding!" Matt cried, leaning over to kiss L's split lip.

"I am fine, my little cum-filled love sandwich~" joked L, pressing another bloody kiss to the redhead's lips. "Now, why don't we get home so Mello does not throw up all over the upholstery?"

Matt nodded, biting his lip as he barreled away from the bar, the car's wheels leaving rubber burns on the pavement. Near let the unconscious blonde rest his head in his lap, even though he was still mad…yeah…he was furious…he…hated Mello…

But only for making him feel like this.

* * *

**End Note: **This story is so fun to write…*epic sigh* It's definitely turning out okay, in my opinion. I hope you're enjoying, anyways~

LxMatt is fukking win, and you know it. You only wish that your special someone called you their little 'Cum-filled love sandwich.'

~FragilePuzzle


	7. So Many Promises

**A/N: **I hate cliffhangers with a passion…so I wonder why I always put them in my stories…? I'm so confusing, even to myself. ENJOY PEOPLES. ENJOY.

* * *

---_Back at Matt and L's house_---

As soon as the car pulled up to the cozy house that Matt and L lived in, Matt jumped out of the car and slung Mello on to his back once again, carrying the blonde back into the house as fast as he could. Near walked next to L, helping him even after being assured that he was fine. As soon as they arrived inside, L sat down on an armchair, and Matt helped Mello lie down on the couch. The redhead stroked Mello's hair, trying to get him to wake from his drunken stupor.

"Mello…Mello-yellow…helloooo…"

Near walked over to him, bending down and staring at Mello with narrowed eyes. They softened slightly as the blonde blinked blue orbs open, looking at Near hazily.

"We'll leave the two of you alone," L said, gently tugging a nervous Matt back into their bedroom and shutting the door behind them.

"Niah?" he asked, his slur sounding like an accent. "…am I…?"

"You are back at Matt and L's house you idiotic asshole," he said angrily, almost considering slapping the blonde. "You were at a bar called 'Simple Blue' and you got so drunk, you did not even notice when you were about to be taken back to a man's house and possibly gang-raped!"

A few tears dripped out of Near's eyes, ones he angrily wiped away. He shouldn't be upset; Mello got himself into that situation. It wasn't like it was his fault or anything…even though it was…if only he hadn't blown up at Mello, then maybe the blonde wouldn't had to have gone drinking.

"M-Mello, why did you DO that?" he asked, voice hoarse. "You are…are such a twat sometimes! I was worried about you!"

"Worried…?"

"I-I am not speaking to you when you are like this. Sober up and then we m-may talk."

Near stood up, standing away from the couch and walking back to the guest room L and Matt had allowed him. He refused to talk to somebody who was so drunk, and he was afraid that he would end up spilling his heart out to Mello, and the blonde wouldn't even remember what he said. He walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind him as he sat down on the bed.

"Matt!" Mello yelled, voice still slurred as he tried to sit up. "Eruuu? Get yo' asses out here 'nd help me sober 'p!"

---_A few days later, after Mello has sobered up_---

"Near?" Mello asked, knocking on the smaller boy's door. "Are you in there?"

Mello could hear the bedsprings creaking as Near hopped off of his bed, and then a small thud as he landed on the floor. There was a shuffle of feet as he made his way across the room, and then a little jingle as the doorknob rattled under the pressure of his hand. Suddenly, the door opened, and the small boy was standing there and just staring, making Mello feel like he was suffocating under his deathly piercing glare.

"Mello."

"I'm completely sober. I haven't drank anything since you got me back from Simple Blue."

Near narrowed his eyes, seemingly trying to judge whether Mello was sober or not just by looking at him. When he found he could not smell liquor on the blonde, he stepped out of the way and allowed Mello into the room. Twirling a piece of hair around his finger, he sat down on his bed, in his normal attire of a skintight t-shirt, short-shorts, and thigh-high socks. Mello wondered how he could NOT feel self-conscious or embarrassed when people stared at his body underneath that skimpy outfit…

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" Mello asked, forcing his eyes to move to Near's face instead of his crotch.

"Why did you do something stupid like that?" sputtered Near, cutting right to the chase. "I-I just cannot believe that you would do something as idiotic as getting WASTED at—"

Mello cut Near off by leaning down and pressing a kiss to his lips, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy's petite waist. Near tried to struggle for all of ten seconds before he succumbed to Mello, beginning to hungrily kiss back, hands gripping the fabric of his shirt tightly. The blonde pushed him back on the bed, leaning over him, pulling away from the kiss as he began to speak, their lips still brushing.

"I love you," Mello whispered simply. "I…I don't know why, but ever since I met you in the bathroom, after the show…I fell in love with you. I'm sorry."

Near pulled away from the kiss, his hands still gripping Mello's shirt tightly, shifting himself as Mello's blonde hair tickled his cheeks. He didn't know what to say…he wanted to cry, and he was trying his hardest to stop himself, but he was pretty sure it wasn't working.

"Why?"

"There's not a reason for love…" he whispered again, pressing their lips together. "It just…_is_. Please, Near, stay with me."

"I-I cannot…" he said, looking up at Mello with hurt-filled eyes. "Because, Light already promised to protect me."

Mello clenched his fist angrily, leaning down so his face was buried in Near's shoulder. Timidly wrapping his arms around the soccer player's torso, Near buried his face in Mello's shoulder as well, drying his tears on his shirt.

"Near…Light isn't protecting you…he's going to end up killing you, one day," said Mello, his voice hard. "How can you not see what he's _doing_ to you?"

"I see it…but…I cannot stop it."

"Yes you can, Near. Let me save you, and protect you. Please. I know that I can keep you safe from everything…your father, Light…even yourself."

Near didn't even process what Mello was saying before he was nodding furiously, clinging to the blonde and sobbing, his last barrier broken down. He didn't want to go back to Light, not now, not ever. He wanted to stay here, where he was happy, where he was with somebody who would try to make him feel good, and invite him to soccer games, and tell him he loved him, and offer to protect him.

"Don't cry…" said Mello, kissing his tears away. "Jesus, Near, please don't cry…"

Near looked up at Mello, tearstained eyes wide as his breath hitched a few times, childish hiccups falling from his lips. His arms wrapped tighter around the blonde as he pressed a needy kiss to the soccer player's slightly chapped lips, drinking in his taste.

"Mello…Mello…p-please do not leave me…" he whimpered, all traces of the barriers he put up completely destroyed. "P-please do not…"

"I'm not going to…I promise…" he whispered, holding Near close. "I love you."

---_A few weeks later, after a big soccer game, in the locker rooms_---

"That was a great game," said Near, looking up at Mello with adoring eyes. "But I am sure that you knew that, and I am also sure that I am not the first to tell you that."

"But it always sounds the best when it comes from you~" Mello said, leaning over and pressing a kiss to Near's lips. "I'd give up a million compliments if it meant I got to hear your precious voice say, 'you stink… go take a shower, dummy.'"

"You do stink after a game, but I had no idea taking a shower with me was as terrible as you make it out to be," teased Near, standing on his tiptoes and wrapping his arms around Mello's neck. "I mean, I _offer_ to do it after every game…"

"Wanna go home now, so I can take you up on that offer?" Mello grinned, scooping the small boy into his arms. "C'mon~"

Near only smiled, wrapping his arms around Mello's neck again, pressing a precise kiss to the side of his cheek. Mello carried the two of them out to the back, setting Near down in the passenger seat of the car before running over to the driver's side and hopping in. He started the car, beginning to drive back to his penthouse.

---_At the penthouse_---

Mello carried Near up to his floor of the apartment building, placing kisses over every patch of available skin he could reach. Near only giggled, wrapping his arms tighter around Mello's neck and swinging his legs slightly, knowing that the blonde soccer player had enough strength to keep holding him no matter how much he squirmed.

"Let's go take a bath, okay?" he suggested, opening the door to his house with one hand, holding Near with the other. Nodding, Near allowed Mello to carry him into the bathroom and start the both of them up a warm bath. He slipped his soccer pants off, now standing completely naked, since his shirt was still off from the game. Setting Near down on the floor gently, he began to undress the small boy, treating him like he was a precious treasure made of porcelain and glass.

"I am not going to break," he joked, stepping out of his pants. "You may be rough with me…"

"But I love you," said Mello, pressing another kiss to Near's lips. "So why would I wanna hurt you?"

Near blushed as Mello said this, being unintentionally adorable as the blonde helped him into the bath. Letting out a small sigh as the water washed over skin, Near looked up as Mello sat behind him, pulling the small boy into his lap. He ran his hands up and down Near's arms, placing gentle kisses on his shoulders and neck, softly nibbling on his earlobe. Turning around so he was facing Mello, Near straddled his lap, placing a leg on either side of him and resting his head against Mello's softly rising-and-falling chest.

"You're so cute…" whispered Mello, kissing the top of Near's head.

Near only leaned back slightly, so he could look at Mello as he began to soap his petite hands up. One he decided they were soapy enough; he began to caress Mello's chest and shoulders, coating the tanned skin evenly. Mello only watched him, reaching his hands up so he could run his fingers through Near's hair.

"You are _so_ tense…" he said worriedly, pressing a kiss to Mello's soapy chest as he ran his hands down the soccer player's arms. "Is something wrong?"

"No, don't worry about it," reassured Mello, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I get like this after every game."

"But Matt says that L gets really limp and does nothing but sit around after the games, so it is possible you have a problem, like—"

"Are you and Matt the new soccer wives?" Mello asked playfully, cutting Near off with another gentle kiss. "Gossipy, gossipy, aren't we?"

Near only pouted cutely, rinsing his hands of soap as he splashed Mello. Mello only grinned at him, kissing his forehead.

"I want to know how you manage to be _so_ adorable while being incredibly sexy at the same time," said Mello, placing a deep kiss on his lips. "How _do_ you do it? I mean, that pout would make most people look like a bitch, but you just look so goddamn cute when you pucker your lips like that~"

Blushing, Near wrapped his arms around Mello's chest and looked up at him with wide eyes. He could feel at the blonde's hands rubbing his bare body comfortingly, his lips once again pressing kisses wherever he could reach. Despite the fact that he had not seen Light in so long, it still astounded Near that Mello could be so gentle and loving, his touches having nothing to do with pleasuring himself. It was always like all he wanted was for Near to feel safe and secure.

"Something wrong?" he asked, face alight with worry as Near looked at him strangely. "Do you need me to do anything for you?"

"No…you have done more than enough," he smiled, resting his head against Mello's chest once again.

The two sat in the bath until the water became lukewarm instead of hot, just rubbing each other off, talking and placing kisses against bare flesh. Near loved how Mello would just hold him, and Mello loved how Near would just let him.

"As much as I don't want to, we should probably get out before our skin gets all wrinkly and stuff," said Mello, pressing a kiss to Near's forehead as he ran his hands up and down the smaller boy's back.

"I suppose…"

Mello lifted Near out of the water, the petite boy still hanging on to his chest, arms wrapped around his neck and legs wrapped around his torso. The blonde carried the two of them, still dripping wet, into the bedroom. Lying Near down, head on the pillows, he crawled into the bed next to him. Ice blue met gray for the umpteenth time in who-knows-how-long, and Mello pulled Near into his arms. Holding the small boy tightly, he just lay there, breathing in his scent, his hands memorizing every curve and feeling of his body.

"I love you…" he whispered "Will you just let me lie here and touch you?"

Near nodded silently, the only sounds in the room their breathing and the occasional sound from the bed as Mello would adjust himself to run his hands over a part of Near that he couldn't reach before. The smaller boy closed his eyes, just enjoying the feeling of Mello's hands upon his skin, warming him up both physically and metaphorically. He had never felt happier than when he was with Mello. He reminded him so much of his mother, and that was in a good way. He was so warm and comforting, always protecting him from any dangers the outside world had to offer.

Thinking back to earlier, Near realized he had proven himself dreadfully wrong once again. He had not only stumbled, tripped, and plummeted into love with Mello, he had fallen flat on his face, and he wasn't planning on getting up anytime soon.

"I love you," Mello said again, looking up at Near with non-expectant eyes.

Opening his gray orbs slightly, Near sat up and hugged Mello snugly, pulling them both back on to the bed. No matter how many times the blonde said 'I love you' and didn't get a response back…it was like it didn't even matter to him whether Near verbally said it or not. Near remembered when he used to say 'I love you' to Light, not really grasping the concept of love. All he wanted was for Light to stay with him, so he might have somebody left, and he was willing to say anything to make that happen.

With Mello, it was completely different. He wanted to save the words for sometime special, to only let them out when it mattered the most, so Mello might treasure them as much as he appeared to treasure Near. Whenever the blonde said it, it was apparent he meant it, but he didn't even seem affected or offended when Near didn't say anything back.

"Mello…would you like me to go get you some chocolate?" he asked suddenly, remembering that the blonde had not had any in a while.

"You don't have to…" he said, placing a kiss on Near's forehead. "I mean, I can always walk out to the kitchen…"

"But I would like to," smiled Near, kissing Mello deeply before pulling on some clothes and walking out towards the kitchen.

Mello only smiled, watching as Near ran out to the kitchen. He could hear cupboards opening and shutting. Small footsteps padding across the tile floor, and finally a defeated sigh.

"Mello, there is no chocolate, so I am going to run to the store and buy some more."

"Near, no, I can go a night without chocolate you know!" said Mello. "Why don't you just come back in here and go to sleep?"

"But I would like to go and get you some~"

That was the last thing Mello heard before the door opened and shut, stubborn little Near going out to get him the chocolate he loved so much. Mello only smiled, running his fingers through his damp hair as he sat up in the large bed. However, when he looked out his bedroom window, his smile dropped. It was a lot later than he thought…the streets below were only lit by dim streetlights, and there were very few people milling about, most of them very shady-looking.

He decided he didn't want Near to go out this late, and if he was going to, Mello was at least going to come with him. The blonde quickly pulled on some soccer shorts and a tank top, running out of the room and down the stairs as fast as he could, the elevator seeming much too slow as of now.

---_Outside, on the street_---

Near walked down the dark street, his way only being lit by the occasional streetlamp. Suddenly, he stopped, thinking that he heard something behind him. When nothing happened, he continued walking along as normal. However, he could swear that he heard an extra pair of footsteps…but when he stopped again, there was nothing there. Taking a few steadying breaths, he began to sprint, knowing that there couldn't be any harm in running. That way, if there was something behind him, he could get away, and if there wasn't…he would just be running. No harm in taking a nightly jog.

He turned down an alleyway, knowing that it was a mistake as soon as he did it. There were a few figures standing at the end, so he went to turn around so he could run back the other way. However, he only crashed into a figure that was right behind him. Somebody _had_ been following him. Falling to the ground, he smashed his head against the brick wall, letting out a loud cry of pain as he felt a bit of blood trickle down the back of his head. He could feel his hair becoming matted with the red liquid, his eyesight going slightly blurry as he strained to see who it was that was leaning over him.

"You…" he whispered, finally making out who it was.

"That's right."

The figure pulled a cloth out of the pocket of their zip-up athletic hoodie, and Near could smell the chloroform before it was even anywhere close to his mouth. He tried to struggle, to crawl away somewhere so he could run back to Mello, but his body only let him fall on to the hard pavement. As his attacker pressed the cloth to his mouth and nose, his head began to spin. Weakly trying to struggle, Near let out one last pathetic cry before the chemical-laced cloth pulled him to sleep.

"I missed you, all this time."

* * *

**End Note/Review whoring: **HOHOHOHO. *evil laugh* Review or I'll just leave the story like this…nah, I would never do that. But review anyways! : D

~FragilePuzzle


	8. Blink And You'll Miss Me

**A/N: **HEY GAIS! 8D…I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I've had real life crap to deal with and stuff like that…bleh. Sorry bout that. This chapter's a bit (A LOT) short, but the next will be a lot longer.

* * *

Mello barreled down the stairs, trying to catch up with Near. He burst through the front doors of the apartment building and looked up and down the street frantically, not seeing the smaller boy anywhere. Now he was worried. However, he knew that Near would be heading to the small convenience store about three blocks down. The blonde began to sprint as fast as he could, which was hella fast considering that he was the best soccer player in the world, eyes scanning the street on both sides.

When he reached the store, he was not even winded. However, he had not seen Near…anywhere. Even when he ran up and down every aisle of the store, he was nowhere to be found. Screaming in frustration, Mello ran back down the street, his eyes looking back and forth as fast as humanly possible. Suddenly, something caught his eye.

There was a small, light pink headband resting on the ground next to an alleyway.

Mello crossed the street right in the middle, not looking and not even flinching when a car swerved its way around him. He was only focused on that pink headband, the thing that was just _so_ precious to the small boy. He knew that it was Near's.

When he arrived over at the other side of the street, he picked up the headband and looked at it. It had a bit of dirt on it, but it was most definitely the same pink headband that Near wore every day—the only thing he had left to remember his mother by. Mello looked around more, and he realized that it might be best to go check in the alleyway. Maybe Near just…got distracted, or something. The blonde walked into the dark alley, waiting for a second until his eyes adjusted before scanning the ground for any other trace of Near.

All he saw was a cloth, just lying on the ground. He was going to leave it when he realized that it could give him some clue of what happened to Near. Picking it up and waving it in front of his nose, he realized that it was covered with some kind of chemical…probably chloroform. Mello let out a loud string of swear words as he flipped open his cell phone, dialing the number to Matt and L's house. It was the ever-cheerful Matt that picked up, his bubbly smile visible even through his voice.

"Hello?" he asked happily, some pots and pans clanking in the background.

"Matt…" said Mello, his teeth clenched, the blonde on the verge of tears. "I need you and L to come over to my house, right away. My penthouse."

Before Matt had time to ask what happened, Mello spoke up again.

"N-Near…got kidnapped."

---_With Near, wherever that is_---

"Near…Near…"

Near's brain slowly began to register that a voice was calling his name, but he could not make out whose it was. Slowly, his eyes began to register things, and he could see a figure standing in front of him. Familiar brunette hair and honey-colored eyes blurred into focus, and slowly, his brain recognized the voice that had been calling out his name.

"Near, Near, Near…tsk, tsk."

"L-Light…" he weakly said, voice cracking. "W-where is M-Mello…? L-Light… b-better not… h-have h-hurt M-Mello…"

Immediately, Near could tell that was not what Light wanted to hear. Not at all. His hands clenched into fists as he pulled his cell phone out of the pocket of his hoodie, flipping it open and dialing somebody. As it was ringing, he smirked at Near, who was still too groggy to do so anything besides blink and try to

"Yeah, he's here," Light said, smirking. "He's all ready for you, too, so hurry up. The chloroform is wearing off."

There was silence on Light's part for a moment, his brow furrowing as his eyes danced over Near.

"Yeah, well, it better be a damn fast two hours," he hissed, flipping the cell phone shut and slipping it back in his pocket.

Light walked over to a nearby table as Near's eyes blurred more into focus, the small boy now recognizing that they were not in any place he knew or was familiar with. It was simply a large room, the walls brick and simple, no windows and only one door. He was lying on a large bed, the mattress hard and dirty. It was definitely no place he had even been, nor did he want to ever be.

"Near…your father is going to be here soon," said Light, grabbing Near's hands and tying them together with a piece of rope. "Remember? He got out of jail. After I found out you were cheating on me, Near, I went through so much trouble to find him…because I knew that he had been waiting for you, Near. He's been waiting all of this time…_ten years_, just to pay you a special visit, Near."

It took Near's hazy brain a second to understand what Mello was saying, but as soon as he did, his began to struggle. However, his chloroform-dazed body wasn't much trouble for Light to hold down, and the older man quickly finished tying his hands together, tying one of his ankles to the end of the bed so he would be unable to escape.

"Two more hours, Near…only two more hours, and you get to see your dad again…aren't you happy?"

"L-Light, n-no!" he said, now able to form coherent sentances. "P-Please…you s-said you w-would p-protect m-me…"

Light only sniggered as he sat down in the chair next to the bed, staring at Near's weakly struggling form.

"L-Light promised…t-that h-he loved m-me…"

"It was a _lie,_ Near," smirked Light, crossing his legs and sitting back into the chair. "I never loved you."

---_About two hours later_---

There was a loud pounding on the door, Light's eyes lighting with glee as he stood up out of the chair he had been sitting in and walked over to the door. Tears were streaming down Near's cheeks as he desperately tugged on the rope that was connecting his ankle to the bed. However, as Light opened the door, Near knew that it was all over.

He hadn't seen his father since ten years ago, at the hearing that sent him to prison. Near was the one who testified against him…and his father looked extremely angry, yet happy at the same time. He walked into the room, shoving Light out and locking the door behind him. Smirking, he made his way over to the bed that Near was tied up on, being at least a foot-and-a-half taller than Near was, even if the smaller boy was standing on his tiptoes.

"Haven't seen _your _queer ass in a while…" he chortled, undoing the tie on Near's ankle and shoving him off of the bed and on to the floor. "Oh, say, _ten-fucking-years_ or so?"

Near only continued to cry as he made his way over to the corner of the room, crawling desperately and trying to get away from his impending father. However, as soon as the small boy arrived in the corner of the room, sitting back against the cold brick wall, he realized that he had nowhere to go. All he could to was curl himself up into the fetal position, ears not registering what his father was saying. He wanted Mello. Mello was all he could think of, Mello, Mello, Mello. He was scared and angry and so, so afraid. But mostly, he just wanted the blonde. Mello promised he would protect him…where was he?

Tears were still streaming down Near's cheeks as his father finally descended upon him, swinging back his large fist and slamming it into Near's head. The small boy let out a pained cry as his skull hit the wall, only huddling his body tighter into the fetal position, hoping that either he or his father would disappear.

"P-please, stop!" he screamed, shielding his head as his father swung at him again.

"It's all your fault, you little cum-belching gutterslut!" he screamed, voice filled with fury as his attempted cool and calm disappeared. "You little fucking queer! It was your fault that I had to fucking rot in that prison for ten mother-fucking years! You told the police that I killed your sleazebag mother, that little fucking wankstain—"

"Do not say anything about mother!" Near screamed, rage building within him as he received another blow to the head as well as a kick to the gut.

"Well then, I see that you're still a little fucking _pussy_," he hissed, grabbing a fistful of Near's curls and yanking his head up. "You got a boyfriend that buttfucks you every night? Hm? You're the one who takes it up the fucking ass, aren't you? Little _faggot_."

"Y-Yes!" yelled Near, not ashamed to say it. "I-I do have a b-boyfriend! A-and I love h-him!"

"Fucking cocksucker," he said, roughly yanking on Near's curls and slamming him against the wall.

Near let out another pained cry as the side of his head connected with the hard wall, his mouth remaining open as he let out harsh whimpers of pain. His father only laughed coldly, yanking up his chin once again. His breathing grew even more ragged as his curls were yanked on, his neck being exposed further as his father took what looked like a switchblade out of his pocket. That was when Near began to struggle harder.

"I'm going to kill you the same way I did your mother," he said, voice dark and serious as he flicked the ten-inch blade out. "Or maybe I could just kill you with a gun…hm…it'd be less messy if I did it that way, and I kinda like these clothes."

His father then took a handgun out of his pocket, apparently amused as he clicked the safety on and off, pressing the barrel to Near's forehead. Weakly raising his eyes, Near looked at his father and saw the eyes of a cold-blooded killer...he was ashamed to call himself _spawn_ of this man. He smiled darkly as he flicked the safety off, not turning it back on this time. Index finger tightened around the trigger of the gun as he brought it exactly to Near's temple, dropping the knife on to the floor.

"Nate…you little cum-sucking prick…I'll see you in hell."

"Mello…" Near whispered, closing his eyes. "I am sorry."

A single gunshot rang out.

* * *

**End Note: **THE END…Near got shot and Mello got hit by a car. L died of a concussion he got when he was playing soccer, and Matt was left all alone, with only Mario, Link, and Samus to comfort him.

Nah, see that little thingie up there? It doesn't say 'complete,' now does it? No. So that means it's not over yet…BWAHAHA. It was so hard for me to come up with all of those insults and naughty words though. I would fail if I ever tried to cuss somebody out. I actually had to google-search insults. XD

~FragilePuzzle


	9. White Cloth And New Beginnings With You

**A/N: **OMG LAST CHAPTERRRR. It's been a fun run gaiz, it really has, and ILU for getting this far. Hope you like the ending, and I'm terribly sorry for leaving you all with that giant cliffie last chapter…but an author's gotta do what an author's gotta do, right? Now I'll stop ranting and let you enjoy the story~!

BUT OMG. CHOCOLATE FLAVOURED ROBOTS THREATENED ME. She said that if I didn't update this story, she would never update "December 13th" and I did not want that. So thank HER for this. Oh, and while you're at it, go read "December 13th." It's AWESOME.

* * *

Near heard the gunshot, and he could feel blood dripping down on to him…yet he could not feel any pain. He figured the bullet had just hit a part of his brain that killed his nerves, so he just closed his eyes and awaited his soon-to-be date with death. However, he could also hear the hysteric voices of a few other people, so he slowly opened his eyes…there would be no harm in trying to look around. Suddenly, his gray eyes took in what was happening. Mello was standing the in the doorway, gun in his shaking hands, looking at the dead body of Near's father. Near's father was lying in the small boy's lap, eyes still wide open, blood spilling out of the bullet would that was in the middle of the back of his head.

Near suddenly broke down and screamed. He screamed and screamed and screamed, trying to get his father's body off of him, the heavy man being too much for him to move. Mello dropped the gun before he ran over to the screaming and sobbing boy, lifting him into his arms and kissing him wherever he could reach.

"Near—shh, it's okay now, it's all over," he whispered soothingly, trying to comfort the crying boy. "Shh, shh, it's okay, don't cry."

Suddenly, Matt and L came into the room, L dragging Light behind him. The brunette was tied up and shrieking something about his lawyer, and how all four of them were going to go to jail for murder. However, Matt saw the piece of cloth that Light had used to tie Near's ankle to the bed, quickly grabbing it and wrapping it around his mouth. Once Light's screams and threats were silenced, Near calmed down a little bit, burying his face into Mello's sweatshirt and clinging to the other boy.

"Near, Matt and L are here too, you got nothing to worry about," whispered Mello, kissing his forehead. "I'm sorry we took so long, but we didn't know where this place was, and I had to get a gun, and I'm so, so sorry…"

"M-Mello…he c-came to s-save me…" said Near, looking up at the blonde with wide eyes. "Mello c-came to save m-me…"

"Geez…You got bad hearing or something?" Mello smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips. "I promised you I would always protect you, and I would always be there to save you. I'm only keeping my promise."

Suddenly, Matt started to sob, everybody in the room turning to look at him. He hid his face in his hands, still crying, looking up at Mello and Near with wide eyes.

"Is something wrong, sweetie?" L asked, shoving Light down on to the ground so he could pull the smaller boy into his arms. "Did something happen? Did that motherfucking cunt give you a dirty look?

L turned to Light, staring at him with enough malice in his eyes to kill a small horse.

"N-no," Matt sniffled happily. "I-it's just so _sweet_! L-like something you would see in a _romance_ movie…the prince run off into the sunset, glinting sword in hand, going off to fight an army to save the adorable princess…"

"But…it wasn't an army," L said bluntly, looking at Matt with his unblinking eyes. "It was simply two people, one of which was unarmed and quite easy to fight, not to mention that he had two other people to help him. Also, the only armed man in the room was distracted, as well as quite ignorant—"

"Do you always have to ruin things for me, Lawli?" Matt sniffled, wiping his tears away as crossing his arms and looked at L like _he_ was the ignorant one. "I can _never_ have _any_ fantasies with you, can I? Huh? If _I_ got kidnapped, would you even bother to save me? Huh? Or would you just say, 'Oh well, what is gone is gone, nothing you can do about that~!' HUH?"

"Of course I would save you, my sweet-tasting butter biscuit…" L said, gazing lovingly into Matt's eyes. "I would fight off an entire army by myself to save you…"

"Really?" Matt asked, biting his lip and looking at L hopefully.

"The probabilities are small."

"…asshole."

Mello only smirked at his two friends, carrying Near back out to his car, buckling him carefully into the passenger seat. He looked at him once before getting into the driver's seat, deciding that they should probably go to the hospital to have him checked out. Bruises adorned his pale skin, and there were even a few cuts and scrapes on his face and arms…but if he was in pain, he sure didn't show it. Near was just sitting there, clenching his fists in his lap as he looked at Mello, large gray eyes filled with adoration.

"I'm going to take you to the hospital," said Mello, driving off. "Matt and L will take care of everything here, so don't worry."

---_A little while later_---

Mello pulled into the driveway of the hospital, parking his car before lifting Near out, running him towards the building.

"Mello…" he said softly, looking up at the blonde. "Does Mello…do you have my headband? I lost it somewhere…I figured I left it at home."

"No, it was on the street next to the alley," Mello said, quickly pulling it out of his pocket. "I kept it safe for you, because I know that it's precious…and stuff."

Mello slipped the slightly dirty band into Near's matted curls, kissing him on the forehead once again. Finally, he arrived at the sliding doors of the hospital, walking in to a burst of air-conditioned air. A nurse immediately ran up to them, seeing how bruised and battered Near was, escorting the two of them over to the front desk.

"What happened?" she asked urgently, some of her blonde hair slipping out of the plaits it was in as she ran back and forth, collecting paperwork and forms. "Does he need immediate medical attention? Um, because, this is the hospital…a-and we can get that for you!"

"I'd like to have him checked up as soon as possible, if that's okay," Mello said, watching as the girl tripped over a rolling chair and almost fell flat on her face, sincerely hoping that she would not be the one to take care of Near.

"Sure…um…one sec…"

The girl picked up a phone and dialed a number, and soon enough, two doctors came out with a stretcher.

"Really, I…I am fine…" Near said quietly, blushing as he was put on the stretcher.

Mello went to go follow Near, but the nurse stopped him. She came running over, paperwork in her arms, almost tripping again as she brought Mello back over to the front desk to fill it out.

"Sorry, but you're not really allowed to go back there at first, and somebody has to fill out all of this paperwork before they can really do anything. Do you know if he's allergic to latex? Because if they're going to bandage him up, you know, latex is in a lot of bandages, and I'M allergic to latex, and it really hurts when you put the band-aid on, but it hurts even MORE when you have to take it off—"

"No, he's not allergic to latex," said Mello urgently, wondering if this girl would shut up and help him with the paperwork. "Which do I need to do first, so he can get the quickest attention? I know it's not very serious, but I'm worried about him…"

"Oh, it's understandable!" she said, airy and singsong voice reminding him of Luna Lovegood, from those Harry Potter movies. "Most parents DO want to take care of their kids before anything else…how come his mom isn't here? He looked pretty small…I didn't get a good look at him, but I'm guessing about 4'8," right? You'll have to put that on there too, right there."

"He's not my _kid_…" said Mello, filling out the paperwork furiously, desperate to see Near. "He's my _boyfriend_, and he's five feet tall, not four-foot-eight."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she giggled. "You can go back there and see him if you want! All of the insurance paper can be filled out when you get back, but just know that we always hold you responsible for every penny, and we don't accept late payments~!"

"Look, I'll pay right now, in cash, if that's what you want, I just want to see him," he said, handing her all of the medical information for Near.

"I'll take you back there, then!" she said happily, grabbing the paperwork as well as Mello's shirt. "But hey, it looks like you got some of his blood on your shirt…come to think of it, how did this whole thing happen, anyways?!"

Mello looked down, seeing that he had some of Near's dad's blood on his shirt from when he had pulled the man off of Near. He hadn't even bothered to get changed before they came to the hospital, but Near had been the only thing on his mind. Hell, he still was. This nosy nurse was not going to interfere with him seeing Near.

"He fell down the stairs to our basement," said Mello. "I think he fell from the very top to the bottom, on to the cement floor…I picked him up and carried him, so I probably got some blood and dirt on me too. Look, can I just see him? I'm really worried."

"Ohmygod, I can only imagine! Poor thing fell down the stairs! C'mon, we can take a shortcut through the—"

Just as she was about to lead Mello through the back door to go to the patient's rooms, the front door's burst open once again, many men carrying _something_ on a stretcher. It was screaming, but it sure didn't look _human_.

"Burn victim!" they yelled, practically shoving the nurse and Mello out of the way. "He set himself on fire, as an apparent suicide attempt, please, we need IMMEDIATE assistance."

"Um, I'm going to need to help with this!" she said, handing Mello the paperwork. "You'll have to find your way back to room two-fifteen if you want to see him, because I think all of the other doctors will be busy! Good luck, hun!"

Mello nodded, watching as a black-clad woman followed all of the doctors, glaring at Mello as he almost walked in front of her. Long black hair almost smacked him in the face as he took a step back, the woman somehow managing to be able to run in a leather miniskirt.

However, Mello decided to forget about all of that as he made his way back to room two-fifteen, paperwork still clutched tightly in his hand. The whole time it took to get there, he saw nothing. Nobody. He supposed that it was lucky, considering that he probably wasn't supposed to be back here, and he was just glad that he was lucky enough to get what had to be the ditziest nurse in the history of nurses. I mean, you're really not supposed to _let_ strangers walk back into hospitals with all the patients, but he wasn't complaining.

Finally, the blonde arrived at room two-fifteen, peeking the door open. There were no doctors inside, and all he saw was a curtain the separated the patient from any visitors. Walking in, he closed the door behind him, setting the paperwork down on a table before he moved the curtain and looked around it.

"Mello!" Near said happily, looking much better than he had. "I thought it was another doctor…who let Mello back here?"

"Oh, yeah, remember that nurse? The dumb one? A ER patient came in, and she just ran off with them and told me I could come back here," said Mello, sitting down on the bed next to Near. "Do you feel okay?"

"I am fine…" Near said, smiling up at Mello as the blonde began to stroke his hair. "I am not very sore or hurt at all…they have given me a small amount of painkillers, just to help the sting."

Mello smiled happily, leaning down to press a kiss to Near's lips. However, as he went to pull away, the smaller boy wrapped his arms around the blonde's neck and pulled him back down. He parted his pink lips and allowed Mello to have whatever access he desired, beginning to work his mouth in a rhythm against Mello's. Gently and carefully, Mello climbed more on to the bed and straddled the small boy, blonde hair mingling with white as his hands began to work up and down Near's sides.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Mello asked, nipping at Near's lip. "We'll have plenty of time…"

"Now," whispered Near, more a plea then a demand.

Mello nodded slowly, kissing Near once before getting up off of the bed, locking the door and shutting the blinds that covered the windows. The blonde walked back behind the curtain, closing it, just in case anybody with a key decided to walk in.

Turning around, Mello saw that Near had already taken off his shirt and was lying on the bed, sprawled out invitingly. The blonde straddled him again, kissing him chastely before moving his lips down to the small boy's chest, sucking and kissing at his collarbone. Near whimpered slightly, his face flushing as Mello moved his mouth down to a hardened nipple, teasing around it with the very tip of his tongue. Taking a tentative lick at first, he suddenly took it into his mouth and sucked ravenously, moans and mewls falling from Near's parted lips.

Mello removed his mouth, moving up to kiss Near again as his hands slid off his shorts and panties, tossing them on to the floor nonchalantly. Pulling away just long enough to remove his own shirt, Mello moved his mouth to the smaller boy's ignored nipple, beginning to roughly suck as his hand began to play with the tip of his small cock. Near let out a loud moan, body squirming underneath Mello as he bucked his hips slightly, trying to come into fuller contact with the blonde.

"Somebody's impatient…" purred Mello, pulling his mouth away from the smaller boy's swollen nipple. "Is there something you want, Near?"

"P-please…I-I want Mello…!"

Mello brought his mouth to Near's once again, grinding their torsos together as he began to kiss him passionately. He moved his lips to the small boy's ear, his breath hitching as the heat in his groin became hotter than he had ever felt, Near's hands clutching at the bare skin of his back. The blonde slipped his own pants off, holding three fingers up to Near's lips and signaling for him to suck. The small boy just shook his head, nails digging into Mello's back as he whispered one word.

"N-Now…"

Mello covered his length in the pre-cum that was dripping out of his slit, kissing Near's neck as he sheathed himself in one thrust, stifling a loud groan as he was enveloped by the boy's tight heat. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered that Near's nails were digging painfully into his back now, a few droplets of blood making their way out of the angry red crescents. However, that was the last thing on his mind as he began to move, Near's petite legs wrapping around his torso and urging him in further.

"M-Mello!" he cried, arching his back as Mello hit his sweet spot dead-on. "A-ahhh!"

The blonde began to pound into the smaller boy, groaning as waves of pleasure washed over his body. Near began to rock his hips back against Mello's, urging him to go deeper and harder, his shaking and moaning frame close to climax. Suddenly, Near let a loud cry tear itself out of his throat, nails tearing into Mello's skin as he arched his back and spurted hot cum all over the both of them. Every muscle in his body contracted as he pulled the blonde's body as close to his own as he could muster, body shuddering and quivering as he clenched around Mello.

"N-Near…!" Mello groaned, letting his seed drench Near's insides.

The two lay there for a few minutes, just panting in each other's arms, holding the other as close as possible. Finally, Mello managed to gather up the energy and strength to pull himself out of Near and flop himself down onto the bed, pulling the small boy into his arms. Near was still panting as he wrapped his arms around Mello, burying his face in the soccer player's toned chest.

"You're so cute, Near…" he whispered, kissing the top of his curls. "I love you."

"I-I…I-I love…Mello…a-as well…" breathed Near, kissing his chest.

"You should get some sleep…"

Mello pulled the thin covers of the hospital bed over the both of them, wrapping Near tighter in his arms as he ran his hands up and down the smaller boy's back, just savoring the feeling of his soft skin under his fingertips.

---_A few weeks later_---

Mello pulled up to the courthouse, hopping out of the car and walking over to Near's door before the small boy could even unbuckle. The blonde could tell that he was nervous beyond belief, but Mello only opened his door and offered his hand, one that Near quickly took. As he stepped out of the car, he smoothed out the pleated skirt he was wearing, making sure his bangs were not out of place, and that his bun did not have a single hair escaping the tight confines of his headband.

"You nervous?" he asked, watching as Near checked to make sure all of the buttons on his tight white oxford were even.

"Yes…" he said, voice cracking slightly.

"Look, I got us all of the best lawyers, Matt and L are going to be here…you'll be fine. Sweetie, I promise, Light won't do anything to you."

"What I he manages to get out of prison, like my father, and then—"

"I'm not letting you out of my sight. Ever. Again," said the blonde, eyes narrowing. "So you don't have to worry…and if it's up to me, that fucker won't ever see the light of day again."

Near nodded slowly, squeezing Mello's hands as the two walked into the courthouse. Mello strode confidently down to their courtroom, Near walking timidly along behind him, patent leather shoes clicking along the floor. Gulping nervously as they arrived in the full courtroom, Mello waved to his lawyer—Gevanni, if Near remembered correctly—before the two took a seat on the bench at the front of the room.

"This hearing today is to determine the punishment for the offender, Light Yagami," said the judge, banging his gavel on the podium as two guards led Light up to the stand. "Now, will the witness, Nate 'Near' River please come to the stand to testify?"

Near just continued to sit in his seat, gray eyes wide as he stared at nothing, eyes wide with terror. He could feel Light staring at him, and he suddenly wished he hadn't worn his outfit that quite resembled a schoolgirl's, the short skirt making him self-conscious all of a sudden.

"Near, it's fine. He's not going to hurt you, I promise," whispered Mello, placing a kiss on the side of the smaller boy's head and urging him up.

Near nodded, slowly standing up and walking in front of all the people, dizzy from the butterflies in his stomach. He had never even gotten THIS nervous before the biggest show of his life.

"Now, Mr. River, would you please tell us what you believe that Mr. Yagami should be charged for? We would like to hear from _you _personally, what exactly it is that Mr. Yagami did to you," said the judge, a quite old-looking man, who looked relatively kind nonetheless.

Near gulped again, his confidence boosted again as he looked at all of the people in the stands that were there for him—Mello, L, Matt, and Halle (whom he had recently taken to as a big sister) especially. Taking a deep breath, not even looking over at Light, he began to speak. He explained to everybody all of the things Light did to him, including reuniting him with his estranged father. At the end, almost everybody in the courtroom was staring at Light maliciously, angry at him for doing this to an innocent little boy.

At the end of an intense trial, made much easier thanks to Gevanni, who both defended and attacked ruthlessly, it was over. Near had won. The judge, whose name was Soichiro, came over to Near at the end of the trial. He had a smile on his face as he handed a light pink piece of cloth to Near, the smaller boy's eyes lighting up.

"M-My blanket!" he said happily, taking the wrinkled cloth and rubbing the silky corner to his cheek.

Mello wrapped the smaller boy into his arms, smiling brightly and nodding at Soichiro as thanks, pressing a kiss to the top of Near's head. It was over.

---_End note_---

Light Yagami was sentenced to ten years in prison, the brunette being sent to "Wammy's Prison for Criminal Masterminds." There, he quickly became a criminal named Mikami's bitch, being forced to take it up the ass every day, finally getting a taste of his own horrid medicine. He was also frequently felt up in the showers, and quickly learned that surprise buttsex is not fun, and to never to drop the soap. Ever.

The end.

* * *

**End Note: **Ugh…I had the worst cramps yesterday…I thought I was dying. But anyways, I know what you're thinking. "WTH? I read all this fucking way for one single lemon?"

The answer…is yes. But I had to listen to almost my COMPLETE smut playlist when I was writing that…I'm so slow at writing smut. BUT YAGAMI IS MIKAMI'S PRISON BOTCH. HAHAHAHA.

Over and out, and until next story~!

~FragilePuzzle


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